tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40580026560316988472018-03-19T10:42:02.112+05:30The Red Elephant FoundationA civilian peacebuilding initiative working for gender equality through storytelling, training and tech-for-goodRed Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-86114202229214183922018-03-19T00:00:00.000+05:302018-03-19T00:00:00.471+05:30In search of commitment and empathy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGohSJczcSY/WoUTTpY56vI/AAAAAAAAHbg/ZbQqzKhZp2cq0iZRSGvXppuJeZLAFNnHwCLcBGAs/s1600/28079900_10214802361509686_1820073478_o%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGohSJczcSY/WoUTTpY56vI/AAAAAAAAHbg/ZbQqzKhZp2cq0iZRSGvXppuJeZLAFNnHwCLcBGAs/s320/28079900_10214802361509686_1820073478_o%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Celine Osukwu is the founder of the Divine Foundation for Disabled Persons. Read her story below.&nbsp;</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My name is Celine Osukwu. I was born in Ihioma, a rural community in eastern part of Nigeria during a civil war. I was very sick when I was a baby. When I was about three years old I developed a disability. My mother was supportive, she did not yield to the pressure and advise to do away with me. I encountered challenges while growing up: I was denied admission in schools because I was a disabled child. It was the first time I started feeling unloved. I started having the feeling that I was different from other children. I felt like committing suicide. I went on hunger strike. I had sleepless nights. My highly supportive mother, though she was illiterate went in search of solutions. She went seeking for help and I was later accepted into the school. On completion of my secondary school education my mother could not afford the fund for my university education. I wasted two years sitting at home but always crying. I could not learn any trade, I insisted I must go to school. My mother was also in pains but kept on counseling and assuring me</span></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yiv9958004967ydp45121f2eyiv2162861889" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.28244725630842615" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">True to my mother's assurance I made it: I currently hold Masters degree from a London university, Bachelors degree from a university in Nigeria as well as a Diploma in Development Leadership from Canada. My life experience is strongly instrumental to my choice of career and work. I am a social worker. Since late 1990s I started working for the improvement of human lives. I encounter stigma at work places especially at interview levels but when given opportunities I have always proved that I can. I break stereotypes that says persons with disabilities cannot work. In my work places I perform more than colleagues who are not living with disabilities.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.48303886625322234" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The story of Divine Foundation for Disabled Persons is a story of putting my effort to actions aimed at assisting improve the conditions of persons with disabilities especially the women. Because of the challenges I encountered as a girl-child growing up with a disability, I resolved to try harder to improve myself so as to be able to speak out for myself and for other marginalized persons. I see nothing worth living for in this life except touching lives of others, salvage the vulnerable and marginalized from oppression and suppression. I formed and registered the Divine Foundation for Disabled Persons in 2009 from my savings. I got technical assistance for the registration from my boss the President of Committee for the Defenece of Human Rights-- the second place where I have worked in Nigeria.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So far the Foundation has helped empower many Nigerian women living with disabilities. We provide inspirational / motivational talks, skills, financial assistance, linkages, advocacy, sensitization / educational researches, etc on issues of disabilities. We partner with organizations within and outside Nigeria to address disability inclusion and empowerment of PWDs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.3201304533078009" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Changing mindsets of the public towards persons with disabilities is like passing a camel through the eye of a needle. Societies are filled with stereotypes / beliefs that PWDs cannot do things other persons do. It is worse with the third world counties. Even among our activist community, other activists who have been working with me on other issues comfortably will suddenly relegate me to the background because I am living with a disability. Again according to one of the philosophers, man by nature is a selfish animal. In job performance employers, no doubt are satisfied with my services and would comfortably and reliably give me more responsibilities but in issues like representing the organization outside the office, they think a disabled staff is not a good image of the organization. In issues like giving award / promotion / getting credit of job well done, employers would not remember the PWD who is brain behind the success of the organization. They would sharply deviate and give the credit to themselves in their selfish belief that they are doing a PWD favour by giving her / him job. These are some of my experiences. Well, addressing them has been a herculean task because confrontation has always been the best but sometimes the management hide the information from me. I am outspoken and would ask questions which may change their plan. Sometimes confrontation does not work because it may put me at logger head with my boss, that may not be healthy for me at work and would also affect my productivity and success of the organization. When the success if the organization is in jeopardy, lives of target groups will not be changed as desired. So because of my ambition to touch lives for good I suffer certain marginalization while targeting to deliver services.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.8004058506290996" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The world needs commitment and empathy in following up provisions in policies / instruments that offer opportunities for inclusion. It is one thing to draft a convention or policy like the UN CRPD for state parties to append signatures and then a bigger and more important thing to ensure that state parties implement the provisions of the convention or policy in their localities. I said empathy in addition to commitment because until the draft of UN CRPD in 2006, no policy document of international standard has mentioned the needs of PWDs. Not even the MDGs drafted in 2000. It appears that the world lack fellow feeling for PWDs. Policy makers&nbsp; often forget PWDs&nbsp; when making policies. For instance in my recent research on Disability, HIV/AIDS and Gender in my last academic course. All the policy documents on HIV/AIDS made no mention of or consider PWDs.&nbsp;</span></div><div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yiv9958004967ydp45121f2eyiv2162861889ydpb90c06edyiv7600735246"><div id="m_6967588948011496205yiv9958004967ydp45121f2eyiv2162861889ydpb90c06edyiv7600735246ydpd8c705acyiv2191065914"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.4827226410540433" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2016 I was honored with an invitation to attend an opening of the Black History month in a program organized by Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in conjunction with the American Embassy here in Nigeria. Persons from the Embassy and other civil society organizations were also present. Speakers spoke on topics which included human rights of women and their active participation in governance. This was handled by a woman. During Question &amp; Answer time I was given opportunity. I asked question around women with disabilities and how to ensure their participation in civic activities in Nigeria. She told me to always ponder before asking for some things. Her answer was that issues concerning persons with disabilities and their participation in governance should not be asked in gathering like this one.</span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.4827226410540433" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div id="m_6967588948011496205yMail_cursorElementTracker_0.8231309452793016" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have recorded so many success stories, such as empowering some women with disabilities financially to take care of immediate challenges, get skills, solve hunger issue. I was part of the journey of a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace recently took place in the violent torn Northern part of Nigeria. I brought in the perspective of disability to the work of the team. We visited highly placed church leaders, government officials, traditional leaders and victims (IDPs) to hear their stories, UNHCR, UN WOMEN, etc.&nbsp; In each point of visit I brought in the 'voice' of women with disabilities, sensitizing the team and the hosts the plights of PWDs, implications of excluding them and why they should not be forgotten by societies. I am also part of reporting to UN committee on human rights of the human rights situation of PWDs in Nigeria. The report will be sent to UN prior to the forth coming UPR where Nigeria will be reviewed.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have spoken in programs where I inspired and motivated women and men with disabilities to live life of dignity other that begging on the streets.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-76412882806728452002018-03-12T00:00:00.000+05:302018-03-12T00:00:10.822+05:30The Accountant turned Author<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7qfC7BtAMHk/WnEv3qKRt0I/AAAAAAAAHW0/h_fAx_jLtZUXbOm6k4tKGj4LDSFDbsBJwCLcBGAs/s1600/A8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7qfC7BtAMHk/WnEv3qKRt0I/AAAAAAAAHW0/h_fAx_jLtZUXbOm6k4tKGj4LDSFDbsBJwCLcBGAs/s320/A8.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Archana Sarat is the author of Birds of Prey, a moving book that talks about a significant issue - Child Sexual Abuse. Besides being an author, she also works as a teacher and writes op-ed styled pieces for a range of publications. Here is our conversation with her.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Can you tell us a little about yourself, your growing years, education and work?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a cherished daughter of traditional Tamil parents, I grew up in a warm, cosy and protected environment in Chennai. I followed my father’s footsteps and completed my chartered accountancy at the age of 21. However, I found the practical side of chartered accountancy did not give me the fulfillment that the academic part of it did. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Was there a conscious decision to step into writing? Did you envisionmuch of what you are doing now, or was it an organic process that grew asyou walked into it?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have always been writing, right from my childhood years, and I have also always shared my work with anybody who would be interested to read it. I had my articles and poetry published in the school journal and college journal. I also wrote the script for a few plays during this period. However, I started writing seriously when I was a new mother in a strange city without a job or any friends. Writing gave me the solace that I needed. My initial articles and stories were about marriage, motherhood, Mumbai and the Arabian Sea. I sent out these pieces and many of them were published. During this period, I also wrote various financial articles, which were published in the leading newspapers and magazines. Still I hadn’t considered writing as a career. I was intent on getting a degree in art from the JJ School of Arts, a vision that I still cherish. However, all these publishing credits had launched me on my writing journey and I started dreaming of publishing a novel. It was another 8 years before that dream came true.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Let's talk about Birds of Prey. What was your thought process behindcreating the novel? Could you also weigh in on how you personally evolvedas a writer while working on the piece?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Before writing Birds of Prey, I had written two non-fiction books and three novels. However, they all remained as first drafts. A first draft is just like a jotting in a journal – raw and unpublishable. Birds of Prey was my first book that I took to completion. I had Neil Gaiman’s quote taped to the wall in front of me: “You have to finish things — that’s what you learn from, you learn by finishing things.” Birds of Prey gave me confidence. Writing further books does not seem daunting any more. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Coming to your work as a writer, you talk about difficult themes like marital rape. Can you tell us a bit about some of your key milestones in this space?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I strongly believe that we can convey important social messages through the medium of fiction. Birds of Prey was an attempt to give voice to the society’s silence on the abuse of children within the supposedly safe confines of home. During a recent visit to a coffee plantation in Coorg, I was shocked to see that the hourly wages for men and women were still different, though legislations proscribing this have been around for quite some time. I wrote a piece of flash fiction based on this incident and it was widely circulated online. Many of those who read this were oblivious to this practice and were shocked to know about it. Fiction can be used effectively to convey the truth. I have a long way to go in this. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>You've broken quite a few stereotypes in taking on some of the restrictions culture and society has put upon women. Can you share some thoughts on this with us?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Birds of Prey is a dark, psychological crime thriller. The immediate reaction that I received from friends and family was a shocked surprise as to why I hadn’t written in a more ‘womanly’ genre, like romance or chick-lit. When women are the victims of most crimes in society, isn’t it natural that we are better armed to write crime when compared to men? Womenare attuned and equipped with sensitivity and sensibility to express the issues surrounding a crime.In my opinion, the only restriction for a woman is the one she puts on herself; all others can, and must, be shattered by her. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Interestingly, as much as women are out there breaking glass ceilingsand are phenomenal writers and authors, they are not given as much respectas men - lit fests are still peppered with more men, our book storespresent men's books more prominently than women's books. How have younavigated the route as a woman in an otherwise male-dominated world?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Initially, the thought did come across as to whether I should position myself with a male alias name, especially since I was writing thrillers. However, I couldn’t think of myself as anyone else. Add to this, the fact that some of the greatest mystery thriller writers in the world are women – Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell and so on – and that made me rethink. Closer home, we have the likes of Anita Nair, Ambai, K.R. Meera, Kalpana Swaminathan etc. It is true that litfests and bookstores are peppered with more men authors than women. The recent incident of Vir Sanghvi mansplaining a woman author at JLF comes to my mind. As Shonda Rhimes says, a woman needs to work twice as hard and twice as long to achieve what a man can. I told myself that I would even do that, if that is what it takes!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>What have some of your key challenges been, and how have you addressed /dealt with them?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">My biggest challenge has always been finding the space, time and peace to write. A man working from home is accorded a different respect compared to a woman working from home. Though I have a study completely devoted to my work and although it has a door that I shut, neither family nor outsiders respect it. So, I have trained myself to work in all surroundings. Still,there are days when the words don’t come easily, and I need solitude and silence. Those days, either I run away from home or lock myself in the bathroom with my laptop.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>What inspires you?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I stumbled upon this poem by George Banks during my school years. From then, this has been my inspiration.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I live for those who love me,<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>For those who know me true,<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>For the heaven that lies above me<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>And awaits my spirit too;<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>For the cause that lacks assistance,<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>For the wrong that needs resistance,<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>For the future in the distance<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>And the good that I can do.<o:p></o:p></i></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">(By the way, I typed that out from memory. Please excuse any slight changes in the poem. This was the form that I read when I was ten and the words have embedded themselves int<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>o my head.)</div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-64327448698534647272018-03-05T00:00:00.000+05:302018-03-05T00:00:14.162+05:30A Story of Tribal People in Satna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guest Post By Mridul Upadhyay</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eoXBTvZ7sE8/Wmh_UaMLw1I/AAAAAAAAHT4/ydbnRhFt5LwAQdmA7nTYd_ePmAOa3dBlQCLcBGAs/s1600/Suresh%2BSingh%2Band%2BEkta%2BParishad%2B%2528Clove%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1234" height="370" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eoXBTvZ7sE8/Wmh_UaMLw1I/AAAAAAAAHT4/ydbnRhFt5LwAQdmA7nTYd_ePmAOa3dBlQCLcBGAs/s640/Suresh%2BSingh%2Band%2BEkta%2BParishad%2B%2528Clove%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph Credits: Suresh Singh, Ekta Parishad</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What's the best thing offered to you to eat, as a mode of gesture, when you visited someone's home?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span lang="EN">For me it was 'clove', a spice, and it was offered to me by an old tribal woman in an Indian rural village. </span><span lang="EN">I don't know why it was offered instead of anything else. </span><span lang="EN">Maybe it was one of the costliest or most special things available in the house to offer or it's their culture to offer such things to the guests, </span><span lang="EN">or may be something else which I am unable to think of, because of my different upbringing</span><span lang="EN">. But I got to know later that it was not grown or collected, rather purchased by family </span><span lang="EN">from the market. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Surprisingly, the East India company brought clove from its native home in Indonesia to company's spices gardens in Tamil Nadu in 1800 AD. Then how offering it became a part of tribal family's mode of hospitality?&nbsp; Agree that it is a good spice and there is a probability of it being used for a long time in India due to our efficient see trade, but, it's just that 'clove'. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Such demand and supply based globalization has also had negative effect on these minorities by affecting their choices to grow, eat and get things in market. Previously, they used to grow and have 7-8 grain meal, but now they are growing, getting and eating rice and wheat based staple food mostly, which also has led many families to malnutrition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Previously, I used to think that I have been raised up in a lower middle class family and have been to many villages, so I know the poverty. But this village was different for many reasons. It was not just poverty. First thing was tribal population, second was people who had been displaced for 'development' and of course poverty at last.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN"><br />This village is called 'Kakra' and is in Maihar block of Satna District of Madhya Pradesh. </span><span lang="EN">In this village, the people settled when displaced during construction of a big dam two-decades ago. Currently, some 70 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">families have made their huts, kuccha houses and farms here. They have got power connection after years but fetching water is still a big issue. Now, because of construction of highway and some cement factories, the land price has increased here. So, the administration, maybe in pressure of businessmen or maybe acting from a thought of 'more development', is trying to displace them again: not letting these tribal people stay at this land as these people don't hold the property right on this land. </span><span lang="EN">People got shifted here with whatever they could, 20 years ago, now again you want to displace them for development!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span lang="EN">These people, once landowners, had got money when their lands were supposed to be submerged in the water of the dam. People spent most of it in transporting whatever they had. For some, they didn't know what to do with so much money and couldn't reinvest it mindfully. Soon they lost the money and land both. </span><span lang="EN">Some on ground activists suggest that it would have been better if some royalties according to the area of the land is also setup for livelihood of the family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">India has over 105 million tribal people which constitute 8.6% of India’s total population. Tribal people were the native inhabitants of the land in India, before Aryans settled approximately 5000 years ago by sending tribal people to deep jungles. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">Meeting tribal people is completely different reality to think about. Am I able to think for them? They are not even someone whose culture and practices I'm aware of or have been reading extensively. If I leave what I have read, a bit of history, they are as unknown to me as the people of Benin in South Africa. They were the original inhabitants of the land and I could be someone like 'Muslims for a conservative Hindu' for them. I felt like having empathy, rather sympathy, first time with Muslims, when someone told me, 'aap Arya (Aryans) hain and ye Anarya (Non Aryans)'. </span><span lang="EN">Many conservative Hindus think that Muslims didn’t do good when they got settled and ruled in India, then why Hindus forget that they did similar with tribal. Peace!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />There are strange incidents weaved to this perspective. At a place, even after getting elected as the Gram Pradhan (Sarpanch), the ST women was stopped from hoisting the flag in village on the Independence Day, by the 'so-called' upper class people. The reason might be of being a low caste or Anaary, both status given to them by Hindus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The struggle is not just getting empowered, standing in the election, winning it and working in the position, it doesn't end even after being the term over. The ST PRI women Sarpanch once getting elected is not able to win again when seat is not kept reserved in the next elections because of rotational basis reservation, then she's left to work in the fields of rich cultivators, Zamindars and Feudal Lords, etc again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the other hand, a rich and Hindu upper-class person is ruling the gram panchayat at the place of an illiterate Gond ST, whom they had adopted as their uncle and kept as puppet head of the gram panchayat because the gram panchayat seat was reserved for ST this time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">This is how class, religion and culture of majority is affecting almost everything related to these tribal people.<br /><br /></span><span lang="EN">Aryans brought their religion which was called Hinduism later. And while making Indian constitution in 1949, tribal people were subsumed in Hindu religion. Previous social interaction with Hindu religion had diffused caste system in tribal people and constitutional process increased such forced interaction. Tribal people had been living in small groups with their local governance and rules, so there is no political unity for them to challenge strong national parties. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN">In the words of Santosh ji, a social worker, '</span><span lang="EN">They read in secular government run schools, taught communist philosophy sometimes in workshops, approached by Christian missionaries and then at home they are tribal. They are confused of what religion/philosophy to follow. They are never trained in keeping their culture alive, which is perfect in their own imperfections. They are forgetting their rituals, festivals, traditional food and practices and following the majority around them.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘There is no political unity for them. There was Gondwana Samiti active till few years ago, now only national parties run the shows here. They include them in Hindus for religious vote bank politics and put them in caste system which was never a part of tribal culture. Being at lower caste level is again discriminatory for them. They include Gonds as Thakurs (middle caste Hindus) because they had Gondwana empire previously and Kols as lower caste Hindus. They also use this difference to make these two tribal communities to fight against each other. Rest, if I'm Hindu, I hesitate from eating non-vegetarian. This is happening with many of us and leading to malnutrition in us."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span lang="EN">In the constitution, India gave freedom of worship and following religion but what if the minority is getting influenced by majority religion and culture, in an unprotected environment for them. It might not sound like atrocity crimes or genocide but it's slow, systematic and unnoticed death of diverse cultures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These are the poorest of the poor and the most marginalized of the marginalized. Can one answer if they ask why and whom to vote in election? Who cares for such minorities of just 70 families in those rural villages? What are we doing on the name of globalization, development, economy, super power, consumerism and personal comfort? Are the developed not developing by crushing not only the dreams but lives of ‘so called undeveloped’? Have we really setup our priority perfectly and thoughtfully? Overwhelmed by all these thoughts, I kept that clove in the pocket of my shirt, close to my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Mridul Upadhyay is a student of Development Leadership at Indian School of Development Management.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">He has been working on several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at community, national and international levels through ground projects, activism, training and policy advocacy for last 9 years. Currently, he is the Asia Coordinator at UNOY Peacebuilders and a trustee at Youth for Peace International.&nbsp;</span></i></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-3795837402836010042018-02-26T00:00:00.001+05:302018-03-19T10:42:02.156+05:30Irrelevant. But Relevant. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lfQIs_abLA/WoW18rPJMrI/AAAAAAAAHbw/fYF-VC9ONIonQR-s2ha-bNeldmxFksWZwCLcBGAs/s1600/Alishya.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="465" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lfQIs_abLA/WoW18rPJMrI/AAAAAAAAHbw/fYF-VC9ONIonQR-s2ha-bNeldmxFksWZwCLcBGAs/s320/Alishya.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alishya</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The Irrelevant Project began with the simple, yet challenging vision of reducing negative stereotypes</span></div><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"> in multiple learning realms. Working to enable children to resist the script of biases by developing awareness and critical thinking in them, through the medium of fiction, the team has just about begun their work in the space of creating insightful literature.&nbsp;</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Could you start by telling us a bit about yourselves, your growing years, education and work?</span></b><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meghna</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> - I grew up in Assam and had a very quintessential childhood - large play areas of green, potluck dinners, and Famous Five. I remember very keen on tasting a treacle tart because it seemed like something plucked straight out of heaven! My first encounter with conditioning came from when I first started dating and this boy made a lot of fun of my upper lip hair. It bothered me so much that I forced myself to go through the painful threading, after having lied to my parents about it. On retrospect, I realized that I became very steeped into bowing down to norms from my teenage years. My parents and I also realize now that some of the rules while growing up, while they ensured my safety also did limit my growth as an independent identity ( women can’t go out, dress a certain way, what if someone attacks/molests you?). </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gY2ioTLiWiU/WoW1-RcmW4I/AAAAAAAAHb0/5w63WaoLZkkitIe-jSWB3iwZYAqSqeD5QCLcBGAs/s1600/Meghna.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="421" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gY2ioTLiWiU/WoW1-RcmW4I/AAAAAAAAHb0/5w63WaoLZkkitIe-jSWB3iwZYAqSqeD5QCLcBGAs/s320/Meghna.png" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghna</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I took up engineering and am probably the world’s most redundant engineer. Those days were terrible. I never went back to even collect my graduation certificate. After preparing for an MBA (and also leaving that), I decided to change fields and become a teacher with the Akanksha foundation. I was not a great teacher in my first year. The children made me cry! But someone took the time one day to teach me how to plan a lesson plan and since then, I not only loved lesson planning, I saw the children enjoying the learning. It’s funny because my probation period was increased in the first year because of poor children management and then because of lesson planning, I suddenly saw a change in my own self esteem as a teacher too! I only mention this because I realize how important it is to give time to someone who is struggling because it makes a hell of a difference. What they do after speaking to me is their prerogative and sometimes these conversations have failed for me, but most of the times I ended up making great friends and all the people I helped actually did help me back. Soon after Akanksha I joined YIF where Allie and I met. Allie is a conversationalist who takes out time to listen to everyone, come what may. I remember crossing her room and she asking me, hey, come over and let’s talk and it was so simple and stark that I did go in and we’ve remained who we are since then.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently I work with Dost education as the director of curriculum and content strategy. TIP is my/our other full time job. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alishya</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">- I was born in Mumbai, but spent my schooling years in Bahrain. Reading was an instrumental part of growing up. My parents both teach and so access to reading and imagination was seen as important, rather than an activity kept for playtime. My favorites characters were always rebellious, and forever in pursuit of the questions they had (Alice, Matilda, Anne of green gables) since I hated following rules, and I certainly did not like school because of how much we had to cram and submit on paper as proof of being a ‘good student’&nbsp;</span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in Bangalore after school, I was encouraged to pursue a degree in commerce and finance to find stability (and a job) which I detested but I did learn to become comfortable with numbers, and understand how they work in the world. I also spent two years in an auditing firm in Hyderabad where I felt trapped, without purpose but also exposed to various forms of sexism in the workplace. After 2012 and the speaking up of the brutal gendered violence women face in their everyday life, I began a photo campaign in Hyderabad on sexual violence which wasn’t very successful at all, but I did speak to 500 people, and it did teach me a lot about culture and the silence of oppression. After this, I got through YIF [Like Meg, I narrowly escaped a fatal expected route of an MBA] and realized that I was in the wrong classroom my whole life. I continued another year of studying by enrolling in an experimental new master’s program in liberal studies at Ashoka University which allowed me to focus on literature and gender studies. </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></a><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Currently, I work as a teaching fellow at Ashoka where I assist with course of literature, gender and sexuality and film studies. I hope to pursue a Phd sometime in the future in order to bring direction and new tools of inquiry to TIP as we grow.</span></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is the story of your TIP? How did the initiative come about?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meghna</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> - I seriously think I was a sexist. And not only catered to sexist beliefs, I wanted people to follow them. It infuriates me now when I look back and realize that I could have avoided so much harm if I was taught to unsee. At 25 when I met feminists at YIF I was initially pretty appalled. But then there was an emotional upheaval and suddenly I couldn’t unsee anymore and I really desperately wanted no more ‘Meghna’s’ in the world anymore. Allie has always been a feminist and seeing a potential powerful movement we had the possibility to create if we worked together, we created TIP. We started with workshops and realized that stories had amazing power to change mindsets which is when we shifted to designing stories. It took us a lot of time to get these stories out. We did a lot of research; we wanted the stories to be less moralistic, and more adventurous, we wanted child protagonists because we wanted children to know that they, themselves, were enough. Soon, we had 5 stories - Bibloo the precocious child who hates his uncle pinching his cheeks, Anvesha the curious kid who loved asking questions like - Why can we not wear short skirts in the temple. We had Annie and Arjun - siblings who are perplexed with the chores assigned at home to them ( gendered), Nila and Najam who dream careers that are diametrically opposite to their gender and finally Mohit, a fat kid who learns that his body size has nothing to do with his talents. In order to support and foster a sustained engagement with the theme of the books, we’ve also created activities and information in the form of worksheets that can be given to the educators/parents/child influencers. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #222222;">What are some of the key work areas / activities at TIP?</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Currently it is about stories and making sure that we expand the definition of the stories by providing worksheets/activities that foster sustain engagement with the themes of the books. Hopefully we will work towards creating workshops and we would love to meet people who would want to co-learn and collaborate with them.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">You work in the domain of shifting mindsets towards a violence free, gender equal, free-of-stereotype and inclusive society, which means you work to address some rather deeply ingrained views and issues. Could you take us through some insights on any challenges you've encountered and how you address them?</span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alishya</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - The biggest challenge is to understand the ways in which culture affects how children learn, and to investigate what are the various ways in which information is transmitted to children. Other challenges are as simple as seeing gendered classroom dynamics. To address this, we began with observing the kinds of differences that arose between boys and girls, and how they behaved. Then in our sessions, we see it imperative to encourage the girls to speak individually. Visualizing possibilities for oneself and looking at role models also allow girls to develop confidence. In one of our workshops, giving examples of women in professions in one of that have been historically dominated by men has been a great way for children to speak about the challenges they face in pursuit of their dreams as well. A large part of the problem is that children aren’t encouraged to think for themselves. As adults, our prejudice and biases congeal into our ways which we go on to teach young children without questioning anything. Instead of parading as mindset shifters (which is undeniably a cool term) it is also that we let go of our preconceived notions before we enter a space of learning with children and adults.</span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As a movement, what do you feel the world needs in its efforts towards &nbsp;gender equality? What is preventing that from happening or being available?</span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alishya</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - The more I think about equality, the more confused I become. Violence isn’t going to go anywhere, and I think that’s a function of how we live and speak. But it is in the project of being conscious about our identities, actions and our work that we may be able to build practices that provide resistance to structures that enable inequalities. For example, access to knowledge in society is something Meghna and I think about seriously. What does it mean to have various models of education, where one school has greater access to resources and finance than the other? Who is likely to have more opportunities? Another important point that we have to factor in harks back to what Meghna has replied in q.2. What makes the rules and why do we follow them? Culture is responsible for how and what we learn about ourselves and ‘the Other’ One has to only read articles online, or political messages during rallying to see that hate becomes a tool in different contexts through which we learn about people who are not ‘us’</span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can you share any anecdotes and success stories from your work so far?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meghna - W received this email from a 15 year old, and it moved me so much.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">“<span style="background: white;">Hi. My name is X. I am fifteen years old.</span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Writing to you was a spontaneous decision. I came across your books today. They were lying on my bed and I had no idea where they came from (I have concluded that my brother bought them), but they oddly intrigued me. I fell in love with the cover illustration of 'Nila and Najam' and I read it and now I have some very important things that I need to convey to you. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The book made me cry. Firstly, thank you so much. I don't know? Thank you? Just... thank you. Oh my god thank you.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the book 'Nila and Najam', thank you for portraying a boy who wants to be a teacher. It's not just that he wants to be a teacher. The way he puts it out there is so... soft. And passionate. And soft. I don't know how to describe it. Do you get what I mean? There are not enough fictional male characters in Indian fiction who are portrayed as being soft and poetic and fluffy and SOFT in their aspirations. Thank you for breaking this certain gender role. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Secondly, this next thing is more of a personal feeling, but I wanted to write about it anyway. There is a certain part in the book where Najam says that he wants to narrate to his students stories from all over the world. Stories about people, animals, and seas. And he wants to ask his students what they think about the people, animals, and seas. At this point, I think my mind just took it from an extremely unconventional, poetic point of view, and I teared up. The part about stories about people and seas really resonated with me. I don't know how to describe it. And I am in love with the idea of spontaneity, and running around on empty streets at 3 am, and the madness that is poets, and leaving this place behind (if that helps explain why that certain part made me feel so deeply). </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I might never get to know what Najam's future students think about the people and the animals and the seas, but I hope they go wild with their imagination. I hope they go so wild that they're out of breath. I hope that Najam is the reason that one day they find themselves a little drunk on people, and poetry, and places they've never been to, and the feeling of feeling infinite, and this messy thing called life.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another little thing that made me cry and hug the book really, really hard and fall in love with you guys in the tiniest ways possible is this: in the acknowledgements, when you say that you hope that through these stories the child comes to find that their life is not defined by narrow boxes, you don't refer to the children with he/him and she/her pronouns and leave it at that. Thank you so much for being inclusive of they/them pronouns. Thank you. It's funny because the thought in itself is making me tear up, but THANK YOU. I don't know how to word the way it made me feel but asdfghjkl thank you so much I don't know how to express my gratitude. I rarely come across textbooks, and teachers, and many students around me using that certain pronoun in place of his/her. I can't blame them no matter how much I'd like to because it's not their fault. I know something that they don't because they've never been taught that gender is a spectrum and that they/them is a gender-neutral pronoun and that there are 7 billion genders in this world. I don't have the right to get mad at them. The education system needs to teach students about things like this but no thanks for overlooking all of it. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And a book about how important consent is? And "fat is not a bad word"? And that little illustration that reads, "I wanted to erase this but ma'am said it is okay to colour outside the lines"? And star-and-rose blankets for a boy (for once)? I love you so much and the writers made me tear up so often I dislike them so much for that and I don't know just thank you I love you. “</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was unbelievable that this 15 year old teenager resonated with our content! </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-58174862369840377332018-02-26T00:00:00.000+05:302018-02-26T00:00:07.928+05:30Intersectional Musings #18<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vzt5Ny_EGnM/WmAeL9hOP7I/AAAAAAAAHQg/6ybql6KEKP0j1ffx53ULo6sy15Vq8Wo-gCLcBGAs/s1600/Mandy%2BSanghera%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="964" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vzt5Ny_EGnM/WmAeL9hOP7I/AAAAAAAAHQg/6ybql6KEKP0j1ffx53ULo6sy15Vq8Wo-gCLcBGAs/s320/Mandy%2BSanghera%2B1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />In this issue, we feature Mandy Sanghera, an international human rights activist. Since 1990 she has been supporting victims and survivors of honour based violence and cultural abuse such as female genital mutilation, forced marriages, Faith Based Abuse and witchcraft.<br /><br />Read the comic <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/redelephantfoundation.org/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=sites&amp;srcid=cmVkZWxlcGhhbnRmb3VuZGF0aW9uLm9yZ3xyZWZ8Z3g6NGIyZmQ5ODA3NGU2N2YzNA" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-6372506286368858042018-02-19T00:00:00.000+05:302018-02-19T00:00:19.506+05:30Awareness for Wo+Men <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_QJxzVKf2ws/WmQKDUnHUyI/AAAAAAAAHS4/xx56nw78lfEv0irqlxX3ijb854RnYvaLgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sandhiyan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="944" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_QJxzVKf2ws/WmQKDUnHUyI/AAAAAAAAHS4/xx56nw78lfEv0irqlxX3ijb854RnYvaLgCLcBGAs/s320/Sandhiyan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandhiyan</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">AWARE, or Awareness for Wo+Men to Advocate their Rights through Equality, is an initiative to spread Awareness on Human Laws, Rights and Gender Equality. AWARE creates awareness on women’s rights and legal provisions that they can advocate. It brings real life instances of empowered women in all disciplines for inspiration and motivation. Founded by Sandhiyan and carried forward on the able shoulders of both, Sandhiyan and Janani, the project is making significant difference on ground. Here’s our interview with the both of them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tell us a bit about yourselves, your growing years, education and work?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Sandhiyan, Founder, AWARE -</b>&nbsp;I was born and brought up in Chennai, so a pucca Chennaite. Did my BE Mechanical Engineering at Sri Sairam Engineering College, the college well known Gender Discrimination and bias - one of the very reasons why gender parity interested me. In 2012, I got placed with TCS, worked as a software developer for initial 2.5 years and changed my role to CSR Volunteer Engagement Consultant for entire TCS Chennai for 2 years. I found volunteering and my role provide me with a sense contentment and satisfaction. I quit my job last May '17 with a hope to find a better opportunity that would fulfill my career aspirations in social work along with growing and expanding AWARE.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tamnup6ZTkY/WmQKIjIUKZI/AAAAAAAAHS8/-DZ4dPtQZ6gpAh08GPmx8HKdOvQ3m73VACLcBGAs/s1600/janani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="957" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tamnup6ZTkY/WmQKIjIUKZI/AAAAAAAAHS8/-DZ4dPtQZ6gpAh08GPmx8HKdOvQ3m73VACLcBGAs/s320/janani.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Janani, Project coordinator, NoMoreNirbhaya -&nbsp;</b>I grew up in Chennai most of my life. I got my </div>engineering degree in Biotechnology from Rajalakshmi Engineering College. I moved to US in 2012 for my Masters and during that time I got involved in the local south Asian domestic violence organization and was very hurt to see the number of women going through DV in a foreign country. And I felt I wanted to do more. In 2016, I had created a fundraiser encouraging all our wedding guests to donate to help 300 children get education instead of wedding gifts. That caught Sandhiyan's eye and he reached out asking if I would interested to lead this initiative. I took a break in 2017 and worked on establishing NoMoreNirbhaya along with Sandhiyan.&nbsp;I am currently an Environmental Consultant for a firm in San Francisco.<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the story of AWARE? How did it come about?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Sandhiyan</b>: It was Delhi Nirbhaya incident and series of gender based crimes aftermath of that incident had triggered me to understand how it perpetuates and its influence at all strata of life. As someone who was raised hearing the stories of GBV from my mother and sisters, I really wanted to do something about that. This Delhi incident has been a driving force towards it. I went ahead and started a Facebook page<b>&nbsp;AWARE - Awareness for Wo+Men to Advocate their Rights and Equality</b>&nbsp;and started sharing articles, created online campaigns to create awareness on how women can fight back GBV. The page was a huge hit and I started getting a lot of messages and response to my posts. Following that, along with some friends we adopted a fisherman community in Chemmenchery and have been working with the children and women for three years now.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are some of the key work areas / activities at AWARE?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>AWARE</b>&nbsp;focuses on three main initiatives in addition to our online awareness page.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Chemmenchery Holistic Community Development</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We are running a 5 year committed, sustainable project with a mission of removing all societal issues by empowering the children and women to transform their own community. We have yearly missions to create an alleviating change marching towards our end goal.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Aug 2015 - Initiated CHCD</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2017 - Child Friendly Chemmenchery</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2018 - Assure Our Girls Future</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2019 - Women Safer Chemmenchery</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2020 - Gender Empowered Chemmenchery</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>SaveTheSmiles Movement</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Save The Smiles (STS) addresses awareness of Child Sexual Abuse: its prevalence, prevention and processing/handling.&nbsp;We conduct awareness workshop on child sexual abuse and its impact on a child's well being in Govt schools, orphanages and communities in an attempt to create child friendly/safe zones. Our vision is to create child friendly/safe Chennai and to save as many smiles as possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>NoMoreNirbhaya Movement</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We are working in a holistic way to approach various stakeholders and create a Safer and Gender Empowered Chennai. Under NMN,&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<b>EMPOWER&nbsp;</b>- teaching free self-defense for girls and women</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<b>GEMs</b>- working on creating a Gender Equity Movement curriculum for schools&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<b>NMN Clubs</b>&nbsp;- Establish NMN clubs in colleges which will be a safe space for students to discuss about GBV, learn legal rights and serve as a root to establish a Gender Empowered Campus</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp;<b>Safer Transportation</b>&nbsp;- we are working with the transportation authorities on how public transportation can be made safer for women.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp;We also have plans to work with the police department in providing them Gender Sensitization and Child Safety Workshops and seek their support in our sessions and initiatives.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>You work in the domain of shifting mindsets towards a violence free society, which means you work to address some rather deeply ingrained views and issues. Could you take us through some insights on any challenges you've encountered and how you address them?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As you have rightly pointed out, the challenge has been the deeply ingrained views and the resistance to accept the efforts that we take to change it. It's been baby steps to get our target groups to accept the facts on patriarchy or gender based violence or how the culmination of various societal expectations has affected women and children. We address them by trying to understand their lives and their stories. For example: in many communities women have resigned to the fact that they can change nothing about their lives even if they want to, but they would say they wish for better lives for their children, so we go by their needs. And we have seen how happy they feel when they see their children empowered and confident.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>As a movement, what do you feel India needs in its efforts towards&nbsp; gender equality? What is preventing that from happening or being available?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We strongly feel we need to start from the roots- "catch them young". We hope changes happen in the way we raise boys and girls and how gender roles are defined at home and in school. We need long term solutions which needs major revamping (evolution) of a lot of our systems. Being an active bystander or being gender sensitive should be a part of growing up just like how we learn math or science. At the same time, we also need short term measures that would curb GBV from various stakeholders across the society - parents, teachers, police, transport authorities, law makers etc.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">People, norms, laws that pulls us or hold us back each time we progress. We need more stronger voices speaking out and working against GBV from all walks of life. As we know well, there is no one size fits all in our country. Every part of our country have their own unique challenges. So to reach different corners of the country we need more movements like ourselves in all states run by representatives of that specific group who can identify and who can, as insiders, steer others towards change.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJAwZ47iBjg/WmQKTR3-P-I/AAAAAAAAHTA/_BbBE4v9sYQN1vBuwoYtnGFSDKY8mCOTwCLcBGAs/s1600/Samson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="944" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJAwZ47iBjg/WmQKTR3-P-I/AAAAAAAAHTA/_BbBE4v9sYQN1vBuwoYtnGFSDKY8mCOTwCLcBGAs/s320/Samson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samson</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you share any anecdotes and success stories from your work so far?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Honestly, we still feel we have a long way to go to say we have been successful.&nbsp;During our recent conference, we had Samson, an 8 yr old boy from Chemmenchery who was there as a participant. We had been giving out badges for all participants - the badges have a superman/superwoman picture with the words No More Nirbhaya. Samson was wearing the one with the superwoman and we asked him if he would like superman. He responded back saying he doesn't care, he likes wearing the superwoman badge. He got on stage with pride, wearing his badge and gave a speech on gender equality. That was a moment of pride and reflection on how we would like to create more Samsons in our society. We also feel proud to see those shy/hesitant volunteers who attended our EMPOWER sessions now being transformed as powerful leaders/trainers.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-80417560150408188912018-02-12T00:00:00.000+05:302018-02-12T00:00:27.369+05:30Empathy for the Environment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="background-color: white;"><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-do6K8VwlNoc/Wl-EOzT00bI/AAAAAAAAHQA/EOzPs0PuS-8gx1sxbfkDH8cQC3a4KleuwCLcBGAs/s1600/Ramnath%2BChandrasekhar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-do6K8VwlNoc/Wl-EOzT00bI/AAAAAAAAHQA/EOzPs0PuS-8gx1sxbfkDH8cQC3a4KleuwCLcBGAs/s400/Ramnath%2BChandrasekhar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramnath Chandrasekar (c) Rachita Sinha</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #222222;">Ramnath Chandrasekar is a conservation educator. Using the visual medium, he helps children build empathy and understanding towards India’s natural heritage and complex environmental issues. Here is his story.</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us a bit about yourselves, your growing years, education and work?</span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My growing up years in my hometown of Pudukkottai were the best times of my life. They were filled with escapades into nature; looking for frog eggs in ponds; collecting them and putting them in fish tubs, waiting to see them turn into tadpoles; watching spotted owlets and snakes in a nearby scrub jungle; spending long hours seeing a purple rumped sunbird whiff through the hibiscus bushes to build its nest, and walking along the river every evening with my father after coming from school. Because of these enrichingly joyful childhood experiences, I had decided that, I must do something related to nature and wildlife. Since then, my life has been an exploratory journey that became more and more clear as I traveled in following my passion combined with my interests. During this time, I began my career as a naturalist, then as a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, and finally as a conservation educator. Today, using the skills and experiences I gained during the last sixteen years, I work with students to build empathy and understanding in them about India’s incredible natural heritage and complex environmental issues. At the moment, I'm a Leadership Fellow with the East-West Center pursuing the Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellowship.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is the story of your journey into environmental protection from your original entry into wildlife photography? How did it come about?</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">It came about in the most unexpected of times, like any self-realization! I moved to Chennai in 2002, and I was delighted to find my path. My arduous travels in the jungles was a fodder for my passion. I envisioned myself forest-hopping one assignment after the other, especially because I had got a toehold into the niche career of wildlife filmmaking in 2008 by working as a field assistant to wildlife filmmaker Sandesh Kadur on a documentary about King Cobras for the National Geographic Television. Returning back from Agumbe after around 8 months of working in the rainforests, I had gone to the river in my hometown which had been one of the sources of my connect with nature. Water wasn’t flowing in it. It was dry. The birds and the fishes were gone. They affected me. I couldn't sleep. Around the same time, I was invited for an awareness program near the western ghats. That's where I was shocked to discover that many children living near the foothills weren’t aware about the role that Western Ghats play in the everyday life of people in Peninsular India.&nbsp; Most students didn’t know that peninsular Indian rivers like the Godavari and Krishna originate in the Western Ghats, and that, they play a crucial role in the life-giving monsoon. I felt restless. So, I went to my mentor Shekar Dattatri and expressed my urge to do something of more meaningful in life, like him. It was he who found the spark in me and paved the way for my life as an educator. I wouldn’t call myself a conservationist, because, conservationists are the ones fighting on the ground battles to protect our last remaining patches of forests, and the wildlife that lives there. I see myself as a communicator; a facilitator. I do what I can from my own expertise for nature. If everyone one of us does this, lawyers, fashion designers, engineers, then our pristine ecosystems will have a chance to thrive for the years to come.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtYXW2BN-IM/Wl-EjRTRwmI/AAAAAAAAHQE/OCmu443KoakpbjvqR5hgtKinbVE1kQepgCLcBGAs/s1600/An%2Belephant%2Bcrossing%2Ba%2Broad_Photo%2Bby%2BRam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtYXW2BN-IM/Wl-EjRTRwmI/AAAAAAAAHQE/OCmu443KoakpbjvqR5hgtKinbVE1kQepgCLcBGAs/s640/An%2Belephant%2Bcrossing%2Ba%2Broad_Photo%2Bby%2BRam.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are some of the key work areas / activities you've handled in pertinence to education?&nbsp;</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first program I worked in conservation education was in 2010 using two documentaries called ‘The Truth About Tigers’ and ‘Save Our Sholas’. Coming from an introverted medium like photography, I needed to start somewhere. That's when Shekar and I started a non-profit initiative called Youth For Conservation. Through the support of Wildlife Conservation Society - India Program, Wildlife ConservationTrust, and our regional partners, I was able to take these documentaries to schools and spread awareness about tiger conservation, western ghats and the role of every single species in an ecosystem.&nbsp; By the end of these marathon sessions, I was able to interact with 50,000 students across many towns and villages in Tamil Nadu! These programs were curated. For instance, we stitched black curtains and carried all the audio visual equipment so that students get the full experience of viewing a conservation documentary. At that time there were frequent power cuts. So, we even carried a&nbsp; generator so that the programs were not interrupted! Every aspect was learner driven. These were one of the major turning points in my life. Being a first timer, the response was overwhelming to me. The students were very keen to know more about wildlife. They expressed their interest in conservation by drawings, and talking about it. Their questions challenged me. I had a great time. But, I felt hollow reflecting upon it, because, the programs were one-offs. This was followed by a team of us working on multi-various programs were the engagement with students was periodic and using diverse methodologies.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">You work in the domain of creating empathy and understanding towards India’s natural heritage and complex environmental issues. Could you take us through some insights on any challenges you've encountered and how you address them?</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure! The challenges are enormous. So, I will keep them to the end!&nbsp; The first and foremost in addressing them is through our approach to conservation education programs. Students are at the core, and around them are all the materials we use on nature and conservation. It’s not the other way around. We don’t stay at the remember and understand level. For instance, ‘Save the environment’, ‘forests are important’ are at the remember level. “We are not on top of the ecosystem, but a part of it” is at the understanding level. We move further from these two and work with children so that they apply their learning, use pathways to analyze themselves and finally create. That’s when, I believe, deeper understanding and empathy happens. Finally, we co-create our programs with experts.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For instance, one of the programs we conducted was called ‘The Planet and You’. It was for six months when I was able to work with 3500 students one day a month.&nbsp; It had six modules, Universe to India, Lifelines of our country, secrets of the coasts, backyard wildlife, conservation and you, and finally a wrap up session. Every session had Shekar Dattatri’s documentaries in Tamil. Arts Educator Srivi Kalyan designed interesting activities for the students. We had an able program coordinator, and I worked with children. It was a team effort, and the results were heartwarming.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coming to the hard part, three biggest challenges are: convincing schools to take up long-term programs on nature, conservation and sustainability, training effective communicators to deliver them, and measuring the on the ground impact of these programs. It is vital to link conservation and nature to the competencies that students need to navigate today’s world. I feel this would change the way we perceive and design environment and conservation education programs.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42z7Ly3m310/Wl-EqM0CG8I/AAAAAAAAHQI/1_3BclQfiM0fKjMw6AwoU-fulAo4fF6qgCLcBGAs/s1600/An%2Boutreach%2Bphoto_By%2BRameshwaran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42z7Ly3m310/Wl-EqM0CG8I/AAAAAAAAHQI/1_3BclQfiM0fKjMw6AwoU-fulAo4fF6qgCLcBGAs/s640/An%2Boutreach%2Bphoto_By%2BRameshwaran.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a movement, what do you feel India needs in its efforts towards environmental protection? What is preventing that from happening or being available?</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a tough question! We need a multidimensional approach towards environment conservation, and it is very hard in a densely populated country like India where change is very complex. Community involvement should be multiplied enormously and support for local conservationists should increase. Today, only less than 4% of the forests in India are marked as protected areas like sanctuaries and wildlife reserves. They must be protected like there is no</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1981041654" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204 , 204 , 204); font-family: inherit; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">tomorrow</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. We need an army of people who understand the complexities of wildlife conservation, and who are enabling conservation action. Only then there is a chance for wildlife and wild spaces to survive.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time is running out as I type this. Imagine if we have a program where young people in various pockets of India, closer to nature reserves, are into advocacy, learning from the experts with watertight integrity, to save wildlife.&nbsp; While these are on one side, at the environment education front, we need a holistic approach where student learning about ecosystems, responsible consumption, food security and citizen participation are combined as one and offered in a way the enthuses students and benefits the schools and teachers. There are many factors that prevent these from happening. Funding, mobilising a diverse community, creating the immediacy, and most importantly, time. These are not immediate outcome based work that provide instant gratification. They require constant engagement and working with the system.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you share any anecdotes and success stories from your work so far?</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure! Couple of years back, I worked as an assistant producer and editor for Shekar’s documentary on the conservation success story of the Amur Falcons. We needed a few additional shots to be captured for this. So, I was sent to a village in a remote corner of Nagaland in India’s far Northeast. That’s where lakhs of Amur Falcons, a small bird of prey, make their pitstop on their way to South Africa. They begin their journey from Siberia and the Russian far east. It’s a twenty-two thousand kilometre migration, the longest by any bird of prey. When I reached Pangti village, I was on a pedestal watching a sky full of these birds. Lakhs of them flying back to the roost in the crimson cloured sky was a breathtaking sight. The shocking fact is, this natural history spectacle was discovered only in 2012. At the same time, a few colleagues from Conservation India and the Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust found that around 150,000 were being hunted during this 3-week season for meat. The killings were immediately stopped due to citizen action, thanks to Bano Haralu, a firebrand journalist who decided to bring the community together, put an end to this massacre along with support from her colleagues. From that year, the hunters were provided alternate livelihoods. Today, they work towards protecting the falcons.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Personally, one success story to me while working on an education program was when I co-developed a 6-month student diploma called Karthavyam for HLC International School. Students observed various environmental problems, explored them by talking to experts, found their own ways to solve the problem, and in the end wrote storybooks that were published by the school. They went on a roadshow with their books and conducted storytelling sessions in their community, inviting people there to take part. Karthavyam is called dutiful citizenry - That’s what we need, if we are to create a generation of eco-conscious citizens practising conservation from their careers.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-68272207931314608352018-02-05T00:00:00.000+05:302018-02-05T00:00:00.195+05:30From Gibraltar to Kenya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-apz3kOmQk_A/Wl9zqbi4KdI/AAAAAAAAHPs/Rv7GVQIx0J0-Yp8cu3ku619sMkfaIfkEgCLcBGAs/s1600/Meenal%2BViz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-apz3kOmQk_A/Wl9zqbi4KdI/AAAAAAAAHPs/Rv7GVQIx0J0-Yp8cu3ku619sMkfaIfkEgCLcBGAs/s400/Meenal%2BViz.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meenal Viz</td></tr></tbody></table><i>Meenal Viz will tell you that she is in medical school, training to be a doctor, when you ask her what she does. It’s only when you speak to her for some time that you realize that she’s much more than that: she runs the AltCricket Foundation, which is working towards building an orphanage in Kenya, while supporting the well-being and needs of twelve children in the country;&nbsp; she plays table tennis for Gibraltar, she volunteers her time as a teacher in a school every Wednesday in Prague and nurses the ambition of working in the domain of social medicine some day. Here’s a chat with the young woman herself. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">I grew up in Gibraltar, and had a very privileged life. My father had grown up in a rather poor part of Delhi, and his is the typical story of a turn of the tide from poverty to a regular life through hard work. When I was eighteen, I went to a village in Mozambique for six months, where I lived with a family there. I learned a lot in that time – the family made did with life while dealing with a lot of obstacles. They had no power, and no water. They would have to ration out the opportunity for their children to study – if they had three children, one child would go to school this year and drop out the next, so the next child would get to go. It made me realize how privileged I was, and how much I take for granted. It also made me realize that my father’s childhood and growing years were like that. I found myself introspecting: why is it that I had all these privileges, when there were so many in the world that grew up without them? It really got under my skin.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When you’re eighteen, you think you know everything and you’re sure you want to change the world. I knew at the time that I was going to med school, but I really wanted to do something to make a difference. After I got into med school, truly, it felt like the universe was bringing everything together. I am into sports, and ran a half-marathon in April 2014, when I saw a bunch of people from Kenya. I went over to speak to them, and was drawn to speaking to one of them, with Wambugu. We had to run all of three laps to finish the half-marathon, and I was as slow as he was fast – so he was in lap three when I was puffing through lap one. He told me that he had come to run to win the amount so he could go back and support the twelve orphans he was taking care of. He would run a couple of marathons and collect the prize money from them all, and when that amount was converted into Kenyan currency, it went a long way. Wambugu and I didn’t speak too much at the marathon, but exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">With more and more time I spent talking to him, I was sure I wanted to do something to support them, and decided I would build an orphanage. I reached out to a friend of mine, Nishant Joshi,&nbsp; who was running a Twitter handle at the time called @AltCricket, and we had decided that we would ground all our work in the organizational identity of AltCricket because it had a good amount of following. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When I began, there was a lot of resistance. My parents told me that it was time to focus on my studies, but I insisted that I could handle my studies, this, and play table tennis all the same. I started with a small fundraiser in University, innocently labouring under the assumption that people would all be willing to give, especially to the cause of supporting young children in Kenya. I started with a bake sale, and learned a rather difficult lesson – people would come up to me, pick up the product they needed and tell me they would pay later, only to leave it hanging. But since then, though, we’ve been able to host a few fundraisers that did support us sufficiently. There were also misconceptions sent my way to the effect of whether I could trust Wambugu – because I was giving him money. But I am always inclined towards seeing the good in people, and I trusted him – it turned out just fine. Along the way, my partner, Aakash, joined in. He had reached out to the founder of AltCricket on Twitter, and then got in touch with me, and has helped me since. Thanks to him, I’ve come a long way – and now have a website and a successful few fundraisers!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The journey hasn’t been without challenges. When I started, I had to get all my paperwork done. It used to take forty days at a time, and the office would let me know with an email and tell me that a line was wrongly written or a tiny error had crept in – and then I would have to wait another forty days to get things done! I approached a lawyer in the hope that I would be able to get <i>pro bono </i>support, but they quoted $2,000. Nevertheless, I did manage to get it done.&nbsp; I went into it thinking that my goal was to build an orphanage, but I realized that we also did have to provide for the basic necessities for the children, and had to start with that. They needed food, only after which would any thought of education or other things come to mind. At some point, say about two or three years ago, we were actually in debt, to the point that we couldn’t even buy milk for the kids. But thankfully, now, though, we are better off. The children had a Christmas party last month, and our last few fundraisers have been able to offer support for the next six or seven months. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our current goal is to build the orphanage for the children. Wambugu was housing the children in a house that he built – except that the house was not in line with governmental regulations. The good thing, though, is that we don’t have to buy any land or worry about leveling it or laying cables. All that’s been done. We’ve decided to work on it in phases – by building <a href="http://altcricketfoundation.org/new-year-new-dreams/"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">an orphanage</span></a> for six kids at first, which roughly costs about $13,000. This isn’t the money that a bake sale can bring in, but I’m hoping to seek corporate donations to support us. All money we raise goes entirely into the cause – save for the inevitable loss in transfer fees and conversion rates. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve never met the kids personally, but Wambugu sends me videos of them going about their day. Carol, one of the kids, wants to be a lawyer to help kids like her. One of the other kids wants to be a pilot. It’s beautiful to see them all dreaming big despite facing so many challenges. These kids don’t know what it is to use a phone, and have never experienced watching videos or getting online. When we are low or finding ourselves in a fix, we find motivational talks online and pep ourselves up – but these kids don’t have any of that, and yet find the hope, vision and ambition in their hearts. That’s what makes it doubly powerful – because it comes from the heart, and it’s incredibly real and authentic. And that hope inspires me, to keep going.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-42413988895166016592018-01-29T00:00:00.000+05:302018-01-29T00:00:00.300+05:30Intersectional Musings #17<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5BBd-7WU0w/Wm1ENIEDqKI/AAAAAAAAHUs/0nOPtllnwI4U751IQeTlrCcA6FE48eMZQCLcBGAs/s1600/Kiran%2BManral%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="964" height="478" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5BBd-7WU0w/Wm1ENIEDqKI/AAAAAAAAHUs/0nOPtllnwI4U751IQeTlrCcA6FE48eMZQCLcBGAs/s640/Kiran%2BManral%2B1.png" width="640" /></a></div><span id="goog_1489833991"></span><span id="goog_1489833992"></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br />In this edition, we feature author Kiran Manral. She published her first book, The Reluctant Detective in 2011. Since then, she has published eight books across genres till date. Her books include romance and chicklit with Once Upon A Crush (2014), All Aboard (2015), Saving Maya (2017); horror with The Face at the Window (2016) and nonfiction with Karmic Kids (2015), A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up (2016) and True Love Stories (2017). Her short stories have been published on Juggernaut, in magazines like Verve and Cosmopolitan, and have been part of anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul, Have a Safe Journey (2017) and Boo (2017). Her articles and columns have appeared in the Times of India, Tehelka, DNA, Yowoto, Shethepeople, New Woman, Femina, Verve, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller, DB Post, The Telegraph, the Asian Age, iDiva, TheDailyO and more. She was shortlisted for the Femina Women Awards 2017 for Literary Contribution. She is a TEDx speaker and a mentor with Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk 2017.</div><br />Read the comic <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/redelephantfoundation.org/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=sites&amp;srcid=cmVkZWxlcGhhbnRmb3VuZGF0aW9uLm9yZ3xyZWZ8Z3g6NGUwYjQ0YmE2ODYxNGFkYw" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-20016365087333157902018-01-22T00:00:00.000+05:302018-01-22T00:00:38.928+05:30The political is personal is political<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw4GsrrLkUE/WlefLX4Zp9I/AAAAAAAAHN0/JOqUOcmzeSc87AX0FNfi0f0NICSOUKX3gCLcBGAs/s1600/Sadiqa%2BPeerbhoy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw4GsrrLkUE/WlefLX4Zp9I/AAAAAAAAHN0/JOqUOcmzeSc87AX0FNfi0f0NICSOUKX3gCLcBGAs/s320/Sadiqa%2BPeerbhoy.JPG" width="213" /></a><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The author of <b>The House of Discord</b>, Sadiqa Peerbhoy discusses some difficult questions. Portraying the personal is the political is the personal, Sadiqa’s narrative explores conflict as a spectrum ranging from micro to macro, and makes a compelling case for the truth that peace from within is the starting point for any peace beyond. Here is Sadiqa’s own story.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think I always wanted to be a writer because I was an avid reader, as was my whole family. I recall telling my class teacher, Mrs D’Cruz, in Class 3, that one day, my books would be in the school library. I selected Literature and Psychology in College and did an MA in Journalism, all the better to understand human psyche with. I think I have been writing for publications since I was fourteen. Before that, I mopped up all essay and story writing prizes in the contests in the Illustrated Weekly Youth pages, so much so, that it became embarrassing! I changed my name on the entries.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My skills were honed in Advertising. I married into the profession but I wrote short stories, columns, middles and scripts for serials along with my deadline ridden work. I also wrote much of and published a spiritual journal called The Mustard Seed for sixteen years.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it was a buildup to my emergence as a full-fledged writer of fiction once I gave up working. Regardless of what I was doing, I always saw myself as a writer and am never happier than when in the flow or the zone when word keep tumbling out fast and furious. I have always seen myself as a writer and believe that I was born with a God given talent and it would be wasteful not to realize it to its full potential. So, becoming a full time writer was an organic process which has taken its time unfolding.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Literature and good writing have always been a mirror of society and an exploration of human beings and the relationships with themselves and each other. &nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The House of Discord </i></b>was inspired by a family I used to know where the interpersonal dynamics fascinated me. They lived in a house much like Barrot House and were ruled by the Matriarch. The relationship between the mother and older son relationship, for one, was where I could see the underlying love, and yet they never saw eye to eye! There was simmering resentment on both sides. I am so involved with my characters as they unfold that I cannot bear for anything untoward to happen to them, and that is why Lily escapes rape in the riots. As for the violence, I was not in Bombay then, but my parents were, and despite living in a very secure government building for high ranking government officials in South Bombay, they felt so insecure that decided to move out of Mumbai. That, to me, was the tragedy of a city which was known for its homogenous mix of castes, religions and races.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When writing about any violence one has to walk on eggs. In <b><i>The House of Discord</i></b>, I took great care to see that I did not take sides or in some way implicate a name by religion. In fact, I do not even mention the political parties concerned for fear of reprisals by fundamentalists before they even read the book as is happening with Padmavati. The challenge is to rise above ones name and bemoan only the difference that it made to the city rather than who did what to whom. <b><i>The House of Discord</i></b> works on two levels…the discord within the homestead is a metaphor for the discord outside it. At various times, they intersect to take the characters forward and move the story towards its denouement of hope. It is troubled times like that of 1992 which foster transformation and change. Otherwise, the Deshmukh family may have gone on forever nursing its problems and eking out a stringent life in the rambling homestead while clinging to old ways. The two narratives were not consciously constructed. They just flew out once the time and space were established.</span></span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-68186443100525079102018-01-15T00:00:00.000+05:302018-01-17T10:07:12.909+05:30An Academic Insight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8soEmWYOwQ/WkaXP2ZlwTI/AAAAAAAAHLM/o48XaC9C3o8Qf8tg1c5Sq614oWq-v4mzACLcBGAs/s1600/Dr%2BAmena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8soEmWYOwQ/WkaXP2ZlwTI/AAAAAAAAHLM/o48XaC9C3o8Qf8tg1c5Sq614oWq-v4mzACLcBGAs/s320/Dr%2BAmena.jpg" width="240" /></a><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>By Raakhee Suryaprakash</b></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://gscsau2015.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/dr-amena-mohsin/">Prof. Amena Mohsin</a></span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> graduated from Dhaka University’s International Relations department and got her MA and PhD from the University of Hawaii and Cambridge University respectively. The recipient of several national and international fellowships (East-West Center Graduate Fellowship, CIDA International Fellowship, Commonwealth Staff Fellowship, SSRC Fellowship and Freedom Foundation Fellowship), she writes on Human Rights, State, Democracy, Civil-Military relations and human security. She is the author of <i>The Politics of Nationalism: The Case of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh</i> (University Press Limited, 1997), <i>The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: On The Difficult Road To Peace </i>(Lynn Rienner Publishers, 2002), <i>Ethnic Minorities of Bangladesh: Some Reflections the Saontals and Rakhaines</i>(Programme for Research on Poverty Alleviation, 2002), and co-editor of <i>Women and Militancy: South Asian Complexities</i> (with Imtiaz Ahmed; University Press Limited, 2011), and <i>Conflict and Partition, CHT, Bangladesh</i>(with Delwar Hossain; SAGE, 2015).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I met Dr. Amena Mohsin - Professor, Department of International Relations, Dhaka University - at the International Conference on “Changing Dynamics in SAARC: Challenges and Opportunities in the Region” at N.E.S Ratnam College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai where she was a distinguished guest and chair of the second day’s session (December 9, 2017) on “Millennium Development Goals/Poverty Alleviation/Health/Education/Gender Equality/Sexual Minorities.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dr. Mohsin made a powerful presentation on “Gender and Violent Extremism: A regional perspective” with insights from her work in Bangladesh, incorporating primary and secondary sources.&nbsp; It was brought out that women were becoming visible in violent extremism. It was also mentioned that women make up approximately 40% of Maoist insurgents. In addition to highlighting the correlation between violence against women (VAW) and recruitment into violent extremism Dr. Amena Mohsin called for the re-examination of narratives that assume that women will always choose peace!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The presentation explained that women join violent extremism <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">to change the status quo;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">to project their agency;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">as a result of family/husband pressure;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">as an extension of their role as family care-givers where they become suicide bombers to ensure that their family is looked after.</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet in spite of joining these extremist institutions to change the status quo they get relegated to the kitchen or in worse cases aren’t re-integrated to society, as observed in the cases of the women combatants of the Chittagong Hill Tribe. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Following the presentation Dr. Mohsin spoke about her interest in Gender and Women studies and her experiences:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What triggered your interest in Women and Gender Studies?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: I’ve been working on gender for a long time. My interest in gender started because, as a child when I watched movies, songs, and TV serials, I didn’t like how women behaved. Always women were pleading with men. I didn’t realize about media representation and stereotyping but resented the weak portrayal. Now we have so many labels but this is how the issue found root in my young mind without conditioning.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">After education, it has gotten clearer how one may categorize the issues, but the problems persist.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were the first ones [<i>she and two colleagues at Dhaka University (DU)</i>] to push for a course on Gender and International Relations in DU’s Department of International Relations in spite of tough pushback. We were the first to offer a course on Gender in the late 1990s. I was also a founding member of the Department of Women and Gender Studies.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While studying IR we debated on High politics and Low Politics and the prevalence of violence against women.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">1971 was a major shaping factor even though I was a child and not aware. Later post my PhD when I was working on Minority Rights and interviewed the women survivors of ’71 through the <i>Ain o Salish Kendra </i>(ASK), a legal aid and human rights organization, we brought out the first documented research on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dr Mohsin’s work on her thesis included a critique of nationalism focused on the Chittagong Hill Tribes and while interviewing the Hill Women Federation how women combatants fight and what happens to them she made some startling discoveries that she shared.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can you share your observations following your interactions with women combatants of the Chittagong Hill Tribes?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: At that time, the mid-1990s, women’s role was very different and the impact on women was very different – women become more authoritarian than men. At the time of the thesis these women were combatants but later I interacted with them while conducting a peace audit. While peace prevailed – in the sense that there was no armed conflicts, tensions were still high. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">During the course of the peace audit, Dr Mohsin decided to talk to the women who were active in guerrilla warfare. In the course of approaching a former woman combatant, while her husband, also a former combatant, was willing to talk the woman was unwilling.&nbsp;</span></i><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The husband asked her to return alone at 10pm in order to talk to the former woman fighter. A risky request! Dr. Mohsin was a Bengali in the territory of the hill tribes. It was not prudent to go alone. Her local guide insisted upon waiting in the street corner.</span></i><br /><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: The woman guerrilla was behaving soft and docile and not talking directly in Bangla, even though she could. But coming from the region I could follow the dialect. It became apparent that the husband was telling the former woman fighter what to say. So a woman who was so active during the war finds herself relegated to the kitchen, and under the husband’s domination after the war. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">They weren’t accepted by society, like in the case of the survivors of 1971, while the hill communities reintegrated then the majority were treated as pariahs. In the case of the women who took up arms were looked upon as having lost their womanhood by society – the men wanted soft, shy “sharmili” and gentle woman as wives they didn’t want women who fought for freedom as wives. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A man who fought side by side with women actually told her, I don’t want a man beside me at home. A woman who took up arms is a man and lost her womanhood.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Does it help women academics and working women having women in position of political power in Bangladesh?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: The visibility of women political leaders is important. Bangladesh has been exceptional in accepting women leaders despite being a Muslim majority country. The visibility and prevalence of women political leaders help to break through the notion that women are naturally meant for private spheres. But just numbers does not translate to true women’s empowerment. And women in mainstream politics have to deal with rightist forces and compromise so decisions taken hinder women’s empowerment. Language needs to be reframed to ensure women’s empowerment in Bangladesh and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Could you elaborate on the connection between VAW and women’s participation in violent extremism as touched upon in your presentation at this conference?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: &nbsp;Impunity is rampant and VAW is a pandemic especially throughout South Asia. Judgements don’t come or come too late and society accepts VAW as normal. Religion and religious interpretation allows it (According to her driver, beating one’s wife is halal!). This normalization of violence against women is a kind of militarization of society. Beyond weaponization and build-up of stockpiles ideas and ideology also contributes to militarization. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As emphasized repeatedly in the paper, violent extremism is about singularity of thought. The ideology has become militarized. When a society comes to accept violence as normal then there is an increase in the number of people who take to violent extremism. It’s a progression. The correlation between the normalization of VAW and the acceptance of indoctrination of violent extremist ideology, especially among youth, is in the same trajectory. When the society becomes conservative and accepts violence as a normal feature and something that is sanctioned by religion then it functions as a facilitator and conduit for violent extremism.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, the million dollar question. How can we empower women?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: Simply put you can’t. Women need to empower themselves. As I tell my students we have created new women but are yet to create new men. I think it is essential to educate and condition out the toxic masculinity. Unless men change there is little a woman can do about it, at the end of the day we are all part of society.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Patriarchy triumph’s, even post revolution and how to change the narrative.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: Changing the mind-set and reframing language, involves making it clear that war is not about taking up arms. Women writers, mothers, teachers undervalue the power of language. Why “re-productive” why not productive. “Role of supporters.” This is passive language but the action is active and positive. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What was one of the most powerful, experiences of your academic life?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">AM: As mentioned before through ASK I interviewed survivors of Seventy-one. I then participated in an event organized by ASR in Lahore where the women of Pakistan apologizing to the women of Bangladesh for the atrocities of ‘71. The state of Pakistan is yet to apologize for 1971 but the women of Pakistan have it enabled a move towards reconciliation. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I participated in the event, I recalled all the testimonies of the survivors and broke down. In that moment I was unable to handle the memories of the testimonies. I said at the event, it does not matter whether you apologize today or not but for your own sake and for the sake of your conscience and posterity you need to apologize to the women of ’71. Otherwise you will be known as a nation of rapists and you are not. This ensured a clear distinction between the state and the people and at least managed a reconciliation between the people<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-83924534145184682272018-01-08T00:00:00.001+05:302018-01-08T00:00:01.933+05:30The dance of passion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aF9ZcbiQ2w0/Wf1LCRp0srI/AAAAAAAAG9A/qUiAnBgAJI42hONpY8rfGhGbe4c752ijQCLcBGAs/s1600/Nandita%2B-%2Bpicture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aF9ZcbiQ2w0/Wf1LCRp0srI/AAAAAAAAG9A/qUiAnBgAJI42hONpY8rfGhGbe4c752ijQCLcBGAs/s320/Nandita%2B-%2Bpicture.JPG" width="213" /></a><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Nandita Venkatesan is a powerhouse: and that is saying very little. Having survived </span></div><br /><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">tuberculosis twice, Nandita fights on every day, dancing and writing all along. Here is her story, captured in a chat with <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharda Vishwanathan</i>.&nbsp;</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hello. I’m Nandita!<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am a tuberculosis survivor and am deaf/hearing impaired. I had the dreaded disease twice and it consumed over 8 years of my life, my youth, with ever-lasting effects that continue to chase me in my daily life. A deadly trail of that is deafness. I lost over 90% of my hearing due a rare side effect of an anti-tuberculosis injection. I’m presently employed with The Economic Times, Mumbai where I am the only person with disabilities in their editorial department. Alongside my job, I started working actively as a patient rights advocate for TB patients since last year, wherein I highlight the missing needs for a patient, handhold, guide, provide information to TB patients to complete the long strenuous treatment and speak up for <b>rights of persons with disabilities</b> (PwDs).<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I completed my post graduate studies from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, situated in the JNU campus, and also did a diploma in financial management (DFM) from Welingkar Institute of Management.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am born and brought up in Mumbai. I had a good and a secure childhood. This was in the 90s and early 2000s, much before the era of mobiles and social media!</span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;wingdings&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">J</span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">We come from a middle class background. So there was not much extravagance, but my parents provided all they could afford to, within our limited means.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was a good student in school would participate in extra-curricular activities. I am a trained <b>Bharata Natyam dancer </b>and had briefly pursued Carnatic music as well. However, I was under-confident and felt socially awkward during my school days and parts of my college days. I also had a big stage fright! But performing my <i>arangetram</i>in Std 9, in front of a large audience consisting of well-wishers, relatives, fellow classmates and teachers helped me tackle my fear of ascending the stage. It also helped me develop confidence that I could face a large crowd and own it! <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was an active member of <i>Chinmaya Mission </i>for 3-and-a-half years<i>, </i>where they would teach bhajans, acquaint us with Hindu mythology and conduct adventure sports and trekking camps. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Life gave me lemons...</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vm-4ilOKF2M/Wf1McWgtcTI/AAAAAAAAG9M/pb46S9mlvfQq9seRRzEFNcNyyv-rnD3vwCLcBGAs/s1600/Nandita%2B-%2Bdance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vm-4ilOKF2M/Wf1McWgtcTI/AAAAAAAAG9M/pb46S9mlvfQq9seRRzEFNcNyyv-rnD3vwCLcBGAs/s320/Nandita%2B-%2Bdance.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was first struck with TB in the intestine in <b>August 2007</b>, at the age of 17, a month after I started my undergraduate studies at the Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai. TB was just a term I learnt in school during science lectures, that it’s a lung disease. I had zero idea that TB could even affect the <b>intestine</b>. I used to have stomach pain, high fever in the evenings, and loss of appetite, which led to severe weakness. So, while India celebrated its <b>60<sup>th</sup> year of independence</b> in 2007, I could see my freedom slip away – the next 18 months of treatment were difficult and strenuous. The treatment for TB involved consuming up to 15 tablets several times a day. The medicines had bad side effects like nausea, vomiting and drowsiness. I had to juggle the treatment alongside my college life. I was too young and found it difficult to deal with it. The weakness took a hit on my confidence. While my fellow classmates were hanging out with friends, eating out, going to Worli sea face etc., consuming the medicines and bearing the side effects were constantly in the back of my mind. I felt socially awkward, low about myself and tried keeping to myself. Moreover my doctor had warned me against speaking about my disease to anyone because of the deep stigma and misinformation around it. I hid my disease as if it were my fault. This was in contrast to the person I was until then– an outgoing and an impish girl! My treatment ended in the beginning of final year of college (third year). I, then, went on to pursue my post grad studies at IIMC in 2010 and took up a job at a prominent media house in Delhi. The psychological scars of my brush with TB took a while to heal. I consciously worked to leave behind the memories of my first TB bout, with much difficulty. I thought I was done with it.(But that was not meant to be!)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I returned to Mumbai to study further and build my career in the megapolis. I started my course (DFM) at Welingkar in January 2013. 5 months into the course, in May, I started experiencing <i>that</i> stomach pain in my lower abdomen. I visited the doctor and my worst fears came true. I was informed that the TB has re-entered my life! This time the bacteria was far more severe and returned with greater vengeance. It was an absolute shocker and the diagnosis came as a bolt from the blue. I remember gripping my mother’s hand and crying inconsolably. My mother couldn’t hold back too, we both cried a lot! I wasn’t one bit prepared for what was going to unfold next...<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since none of the standard medications worked as quickly as it should, I was asked to get a surgery to remove the infected portion of my large intestine. I wheeled into the operation theatre (OT) on my father’s birthday, July 24. While the surgery was declared a success and I was discharged after 10 days, my condition started to badly go downhill a week after my discharge. I developed high internal fever, turned breathless and collapsed. My intestines had got entangled, causing a near-fatal blockage. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">My condition was deemed ‘very critical’ and further surgeries were needed to save my life. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">What was, initially, supposed to be one surgery and a 10-day hospital stay, now spiralled into 6 surgeries and an endless nightmare. After the first surgery on July 24 mentioned above, I had to undergo 5 more surgeries in two instalments – 3 back-to-back between August and September and the final 2 surgeries, in April 2014, after an 8-month gap.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was a cruel, </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">debilitating, yet an eye-opening experience.</span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">In total, I was in the hospital for 3 months and developed complication after complication, which doctors said were unheard of, at such a young age. Solid food was completely prohibited for two months and I was forced to survive on just small sips of water, leading to severe weight loss. I was down to 32 kgs, akin to a ‘walking skeleton’. Add to this, I had to take 200+ painful injections during my full course of treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I think</span></b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">, there is nothing bigger than confronting your mortality. All this left me with a sense of disbelief. Pinned down to the bed all the time with IV tubes running through my body, my independence was snatched away harshly, making me helpless and hopeless. This invisible bacteria, hidden in my abdomen, had taken charge of my body, and was making me dance to its tunes like never before.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was never, even in my wildest dreams, prepared for all this! <span style="color: #222222;">I had always been on the move and led an independent life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Suddenly all of that disappeared.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">After enduring major surgeries at the hospital, I thought I was done with my quota of pain. Little did I know that the worst was, probably, yet to come. I lost my hearing on November 22, 2013, two days after I celebrated my 24<sup>th</sup> birthday. I was handed out the crudest birthday gift one could have asked for. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is how it unfolded: </span></i><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I spoke to my mother and went to take a 10 min nap in the afternoon. I woke up from the nap to pin drop silence. I lost my hearing in sleep -- The world around me fell silent. In the snap of a finger, I lost access to basic things that everyone, including me, take for granted – music, TV, phone calls, proper conservation with people. Now, not only was I dealing with TB, I was staring at a life-altering permanent disability, bang in the middle of my life. The devil responsible for this, was an <b>injection</b> I had taken as part of my treatment. It’s a <b>rare</b>side effect of the injection. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">They say ‘man is a social animal’... I lost this very quality in matter of minutes and plunged into a world of loneliness. I had to deal with acute clinical depression and was pushed to the very edge. You see, at 23-24 years, you don’t expect so much to happen when many folks of my age were pursuing their careers, going out with friends, planning their next travel, getting married etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">The hearing impairment is a sharp contrast to the very person I am – an inquisitive girl, a conversationalist, who loved to debate, discuss and explore every topic, be it intellectual or random, under the sun. This change was devastating to my self-esteem, tore apart my confidence and </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I withdrew into my shell. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">But, I realised that I couldn’t sit and feel sorry for myself for too long. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">The journey to recovery was no doubt harrowing and filled with uncertainty, but one that held out many lessons, too. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">As difficult as it is, I tried hard and looked for some good aspects amidst all the gloom. It could be the smallest of pleasures and victories like going for a walk, eating proper food or seeing small signs of recovery amidst lost hope. <span style="background: white;">Though, I had full support of my parents, ultimately the battle was mine, I had to fight it out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some friends stood by me, some others whom I had considered ‘close’, trailed off and stopped keeping in touch after my hearing loss. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">My immediate challenges included<b>:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Physical: I was severely underweight due to the surgeries and lack of food; my stamina took a big, big knock and I almost lost all my hair and became bald.I was bedridden for over two years. I had given a dance performance just six months before my diagnosis of re-infection, and here, it came to a point where I couldn’t even walk 10 steps without assistance!<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mental: The acute depression was hard to tackle. <span style="color: #222222;">It was traumatising. I felt like I have nothing to look forward to and </span>would get all the wrong ideas of giving up, of being a good-for-nothing for my parents. I came very close to ending my life. <span style="color: #222222;">I used to cry for 12 hours (yes, 12 hours!) out of sheer physical pain. And then, the hearing disability and depression added to it.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Financial: All of this took a serious toll on the financial health of my family. We had to shell out large sums – Rs. 50 to 60 lakhs – for my treatment and sold off our house and shifted to a rented flat. This really added to the guilt and helplessness!<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">New, unexplored world of disability: I had been a part of the hearing-speaking society for 23 years of my life. The drastic hearing loss really changed everything for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">...But I made lemonade, lemon tarts and lemon curd pie! <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">The journey to dance was never planned. I had no hopes of getting back to dancing after seeing myself like a vegetable! <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was in July 2015, on a rainy evening, when my dance teacher, who was aware of the problems I was undergoing, casually asked my mother if I would be interested in taking part in the Dussehra programme. My immediate response was a big NO. I wondered as to how I would dance when I can’t hear the music. Moreover, my recovery process had just started and was moving a snail’s pace -- I was practising how to walk steadily! Dance is a rigorous art form, and my stamina had reached its nadir. And I definitely didn’t have the confidence to go up on stage and face the crowd after being home and bed-bound for close to 3 years. These were some of the questions tossing around in my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I finally convinced myself that I’ll have to make a start somewhere and keep wallowing in pity. Maybe, this opportunity could be that one? Parents also egged me to give it shot. <span style="color: #222222;">I then conveyed my interest to my teacher to join the programme.</span> The initial plan was to just go and take up dance practise, performing would depend on how things flow.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">The sessions were extremely difficult to begin with. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I would get breathless and exhausted after just 2mins of dancing.&nbsp; I felt socially awkward as this was the first time I faced a crowd after I lost my hearing. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since any music, <i>sur</i> (tune) and <i>taal</i> (rhythm) are inaudible to me, I took time to grasp the steps and co-ordinate with my fellow dancers. I had to put in far more efforts than the normal dancers. There were extra, specialised practise sessions for me. Even then, I had considered backing out, since it was all really new to me. I decided to persist.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I guess ultimately, </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">the desire to dance, won against the instinct to flee! Reading about </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">experiences</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"> of other hearing impaired dancers across the world aided my process of relearning. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I can feel the vibrations of the rhythm due to the bilateral hearing aids (both ears). I gave my first performance post deafness in Oct 2015, on Dussehra. The performance was appreciated by one and all, the best compliment I received was that nobody could guess that I was deaf! </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I took to dance as a way to emerge from my closet and a means to regain my absolutely shattered confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">How art helped me heal<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Apart from its physical benefits, dance has many mental benefits and can be a wonderful way to express oneself. It not only involves steps but is rich in emotions and you get to convey varied expressions using your eyes and face. It is a great outlet, a&nbsp;<b>therapy</b>&nbsp;to release one’s pent-up emotions and heal one’s soul. Dance also helped me tackle my depression better.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">When I gave my first performance in 2015, post my second TB bout and hearing loss, it was a liberating and cathartic experience. After being bedridden, facing extreme uncertainty and robbed of my independence, when I saw myself in the dance attire, my hands and legs which were pricked with numerous injections, now adorned with beautiful jewellery, the feeling was exhilarating. The bacteria made me&nbsp;dance to its tunes like never before,&nbsp;now I danced my way (quite literally) to kick the bacteria. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have to admit here, that for the longest time I felt ‘cheated’ by Life coupled with an acute sense disbelief. It’s been 8-year long battle, and the wounds are deep and raw. While the physical wounds and scars due to surgeries are there, what is tougher is the mental battle. When I got cured TB for the first time, I thought I was done with it. Nothing prepared me for a relapse out of the blue – even after the relapse, I was assured that it will be just one surgery, 10-day hospital stay, culminating to 1 month-long rest, and then <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>I would be good to go and resume normal life. That was never meant to be! <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">TB+ Depression + Disability: there was a lot of gloom around me.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">&nbsp;But I understood that there will be some small positives, tiny victories one could lap up to fuel the fire within; it’s only that you have to consciously look for it. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Time may or may not heal everything, but accepting your situation does help mitigate the pain. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was dependent on me, which path to choose, either I think of the worse and end my life or learn my lessons and get tougher. My 8-year long journey have made me tougher and a well-rounded person.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Next, <span style="color: #222222;">it’s extremely important to seek help and talk out/share your problems with people you trust. There is NO SHAME in acknowledging one’s problems, it is NOT a sign of weakness. Often we are taught to conceal our affliction, as a sign of strength. This approach is absolutely wrong! Strength lies on accepting and confronting an issue. The <b>TEDx talk</b> I gave earlier this year at Jaipur has to be one of the most detailed accounts of my ordeal. It was initially very difficult to come with my ordeal but I somehow mustered the courage to do that. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of enduring memories</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Post my 8-year long ordeal, I realized that though the disease is widespread in India (we have the largest number of cases in the world!), many people are unaware of what the disease can do to a person and there is lack of information in the public domain for patients, too, on how to go about dealing with the disease. I also encountered stigma related to disabilities, where we are looked upon as someone lesser, where people have refused to talk to me on knowing that I can’t hear. This prompted me to wear the hat as an advocate, a few months after I started my job in Economic Times.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">Complete strangers have messaged me in social media, walked up to me and told me in person about how I and my story impacted their lives and helped them rediscover their goals and rewire their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 14.0pt;">The TB patients I have helped or touch their life in any way, have thanked me for “mentoring” them to mitigate the circumstances. My only aim in doing so is that no one ever go through the horrors that I have.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-13280329474080050652018-01-01T00:00:00.000+05:302018-01-01T00:01:03.080+05:30A passion for pachyderms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRKnbAgSe9E/WhbYWZG1rBI/AAAAAAAAHGs/c0abJz4SdcIXaEUFLVe3z95QwsNk8lPLQCLcBGAs/s1600/vidya_m2_mod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="819" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRKnbAgSe9E/WhbYWZG1rBI/AAAAAAAAHGs/c0abJz4SdcIXaEUFLVe3z95QwsNk8lPLQCLcBGAs/s320/vidya_m2_mod.JPG" width="244" /></a></div><i>Interested in the fields of behavioural ecology, conservation genetics and phylogeograpy, TNC Vidya has a special focus on the behaviour of social large mammals. With experience working on mammalian sociogenetics during her postdoctoral position at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, she is now studying the social organization of the Asian Elephant in Southern India. She spoke about STEM, her personal journey and her experiences so far to <b>Harshavardhan Thyagarajan</b>.&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i>Why science? What events/people/ideas influenced your decision to take up research, and what drew you to the field of ecology and behaviour?</i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I was attracted to the natural world every since I can remember. Reading Gerald Durrell and Salim Ali amongst others, I wanted to study birds or mammals by the time I was in middle school, although I did not really think of it as "science". I had not heard about research and was just fascinating that there were people who actually spent their lives watching or working with wildlife. I was also disappointed that human adults did not seem to be doing a very good job of preserving the natural world (unfortunately, I am also guilty of that now and worry about how disappointed today's children must be with us adults). The idea of working in the scientific field of ecology/behaviour/evolution came later, during my XI-XII std., B.Sc., and M.S. I have had several wonderful teachers in school and college. My ideas about science and the field of ecology/evolution/behaviour were greatly influenced by two excellent teachers in IISc (where I did my M.S.), Prof. R. Gadagkar and Prof. V. Nanjundiah, and by the wonderful experience I had during my first research project in Prof. Gadagkar's lab. Of course, one goes on modifying and honing one's understanding by subsequent interactions with various teachers and peers, during Ph.D., postdoc, and as faculty, and I am grateful to all these people, who are too many to list here. I must also say that I do not think of science as being superior to social science or the humanities. If I had not been able to work in ecology/evolution/behaviour, I would not have been desperate to carry out research in some other area of science just to be "in science". My backup options, at various points in time, included being a taxidermist, a vet, an English teacher, a journalist, a childrens' book illustrator, and a forest ranger.</span></div><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></b></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Growing up, what did you feel about the field of science and technology? In your experience are there any prevalent cultural mindsets that deter women from envisioning themselves as pioneering scientists?</i></b></b></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I did not really think about the "field of science and technology" versus other fields while growing up. I have been very lucky to have a very supportive immediate and extended family, who encouraged me to do what I wanted. My mother, especially, has endured many a sleepless night worrying about my safety initially (this was time without mobile phones and sparse and expensive landline connectivity). Although I have personally not been deterred from pursuing any field, I have seen that there are multiple prevalent cultural mindsets that deter women from envisioning themselves as pioneers, not just in science, but in most areas of work. Since women are "supposed to" look after the family (read cook and clean) and raise children, any external work that comes in the way is discouraged and jobs that can be worked around this are encouraged, if at all. The flip side to this is that there could be unrealistic expectations on boys and men who care may be scorned at, but that is another topic.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>In your experience, is Science in India a sexist work environment? What is the nature of variance, depending on institutes, specialization and other such factors? Is this comparable to the field in other countries, in your experiences, or are there notable differences?</i></b></div></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">I think, in general, most work environments in India are sexist. We are, by and large, a deeply patriarchal society and this permeates science also. I have not seen many institutes and have not had to work in the university environment, which accounts for most of the science work environment in India, but can say for sure that patriarchy is a problem even in what are perceived to be the best institutes in the country. From my limited experience and talking with people, it appears that as women progress in their academic life, from being a student onwards, the challenges often become tougher because of the decreasing proportions of women at each level. Women faculty can have a tougher time being taken seriously by senior male colleagues in their institutes/universities than women Ph.D. students doing fieldwork have from being taken seriously by the lay people they interact with in the field, which says something really sad about the scientific academic system. I do not know if there are significant differences across countries or fields. I would like to say though that the biggest problem in terms of women in science would probably be that of girls having to drop out of school and college and so on (due to societal pressures and/or harassment). Those are far larger numbers than the numbers of women who have to face bad work environments as scientists. The ones who have had a really bad time are the ones we don't even see.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>From the outside looking in, are there stereotypes that society projects on you as a woman scientist - with respect to work life balance and cultural expectations?</i></b></div></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If, by society, you include the scientific community, then yes, definitely. For instance, there are many "irregular verbs" (sensu Bernard Woolley of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister) that apply. A male scientist might "make a forceful or powerful argument", while a female scientist is often "being difficult or shrill". An male scientist who decides not to marry is usually "being devoted to science" while a similar female scientist is often "a shrew" or has some problem. Similarly, one can be "hard working and committed to science" or "heartless" when one does not pay enough attention to children. There is the general expectation that women should remain quiet, agree with everything men say, not argue, etc. Of course there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority here. If only lay people are included, I think perceptions depend partly on the extent to which people have to deal with women scientists. If the woman scientist is part of the family, the same biases may hold and she is often treated as a woman first (being expected to attend to the family) and then a scientist. On the other hand, many lay people may admire women scientists from afar because they are rarer and/or they perceive that they are doing challenging work.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Are there structural roadblocks for women in Science? If there are, what are some examples of the same and the nature of their impact?</i></b></div></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For this question, some sub areas I'd like to discuss, but do not know very well:</span></div></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Are there any challenges in terms of a pay-gap for scientists over gender?</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Is there systemic under-representation in publication/conference key note talks?</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Is recruitment for posts a challenge for women, especially wrt the famous two body problem - do married women have a tougher time getting recruited to prestigious positions than their male counterparts?</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Maternity leave - is it provided adequately?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My perception is that there are more cultural roadblocks than structural roadblocks for women in science in India. Unlike the US, we do not have a pay-gap because of gender, and have much better maternity leave than in many countries. However, there is a lot to be desired in terms of hiring and treating women scientists. Although the Panel on Scientific Values of the Indian Academy of Sciences has come up with guidelines about not discriminating against those whose spouses are in the same institute while hiring, there are institutes that prefer not to hire such people, typically women (as the male spouse is usually older and more likely to have a job first). A woman is almost always asked about her marital status at least informally, if not during the interview, with the assumption that she will not take her job seriously if she is married or has children, or that she will quit her job if her husband is working in a different city. If two people are applying simultaneously, the woman may often settle for a worse job than the man, because of cultural norms. There is under-representation in awards and prestigious positions also, but I am not sure what structural changes can be made. It appears that a large part of this under-representation is because of the "old-boys club" and social networking that it is easier for male scientists to be part of. It is also possible that women are not able to give their best to their work because of day-to-day trivial harassment and discouragement they have to face at work, apart from family responsibilities. One structural change that I think should be made is to facilitate the re-entry of women into academics. At present, there are women scientist programmes that allow for women who have taken a break (typically, to raise children) to obtain a fellowship for a few years. However, this is perceived as a non-prestigious fellowship, and women with these fellowships seldom go on to become faculty. It is not clear to me why applicants of similar quality and with a similar number of years of experience cannot be treated on par, irrespective of having taken a break. Since taking a break is perceived as lack of commitment to science, women have to either choose between a job and children or postpone having children (which may not have the best consequences for the children). Similarly, child-care is a big concern. Although daycare centres have been mandated in some situations, the quality of daycare has prevented many women from working. Daycare centres at workplaces have also often taken only the number of women employees into account, a cultural bias translated into a structural roadblock.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Do institutes take casual sexism complaints seriously? While there are usually cells in place to weed out workplace sexism - do these come into action solely to deal with cases of severe molestation?</i></b></div></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Usually, no. We, as a society, are very good at blaming the victim. One often hears of cases when even severe cases were suppressed. It appears that women are usually persuaded not to file any complaint.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Across the country, simple rules like hostel in-timings cause structural discrimination between the two genders. What is the impact of this on Indian Science, and what conversations do stakeholders need to engage in to address this?</i></b></div></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know what the overall impact would be on Indian Science. Individuals would react differently - some might want to overcome such a problem and still do science, others might be dissuaded. However, gender-based discrimination in hostel rules is not unique to science, and I don't think one should have to show that it would affect science (or, indeed, any other subject) in order to put an end to such regressive rules.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>As a behavioural ecologist, you and your lab members spend plenty of time in the field. Are there prevalent stereotypes against women in field science?</i></b></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Based on small sample sizes, I feel that certain traits are over-represented amongst people who do fieldwork. For instance, such people are likely to enjoy the outdoors, be adventurous, and be more willing to take risks, including by breaking societal stereotypes (since, even for men, fieldwork is not usually considered prestigious by society). Given these traits in male and female fieldworkers, I think women doing fieldwork often do have some support from their male compatriots. They probably find more discrimination back in their universities or in formal meetings rather than in the field itself.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would also like to add that, in India, there are biases against organismal biologists (who study ecology/evolution/behaviour) by many reductionist biologists, who wield much more power, but that is not restricted to women organismal biologists. For many of us in organismal biology, that is almost as big a bias we face routinely as the bias against women in academics in general.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What systemic interventions have helped women in Indian Science (or outside, if something notable comes to mind) - and what structures do you feel we need to implement in order to create an inclusive and conducive system?</i></b></div></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know enough to say anything about the first. As I already mentioned above, I think facilitating the re-entry of women into permanent jobs and better daycare are necessary. However, I think social change is really required to have a more inclusive system; it will not be possible with structural change alone.</span></div></span></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-85533571415310335932017-12-25T00:00:00.000+05:302017-12-25T00:00:30.792+05:30We came. We coded. We inspired. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iS690tne1aw/WffsjB_--sI/AAAAAAAAG8A/Hflp89CAzyk7dD3Pidprofzft5FkHqBOACLcBGAs/s1600/Fereshteh%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="584" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iS690tne1aw/WffsjB_--sI/AAAAAAAAG8A/Hflp89CAzyk7dD3Pidprofzft5FkHqBOACLcBGAs/s320/Fereshteh%2B1.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Code To Inspire has been leaving many people speechless, world over. The army of young women are taking the world of STEM by storm, changing the world one code at a time. The brains behind it is Fereshteh Forough. Here's our conversation with Fereshteh.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Tell us a little about yourself. </b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My family left Afghanistan early '80s because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was born in a small town at the border of Iran and Afghanistan. I grew up in a family of 8 kids. A</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">fter the fall of the Taliban in 2001 in Afghanistan, many Afghan families abroad found hope in their motherland again, like my family. We moved to Herat in 2002. We packed everything in a big truck and we took the road from Mashhad to Herat. I was very unhappy to move from a place where I had my childhood friends, memories and dreams, to a place that I only knew through a few pictures in my mom’s photo album and as a war zone on TV. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">After two months, I participated in the general entrance examination for university. Meanwhile I started to teach English to girls at a beginner and elementary level. I received my university results before Spring. I was accepted in the Computer Science faculty.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I finished my bachelors in Computer Science, through a scholarship program, I went to Technical University of Berlin in Germany for two years. &nbsp;I got my master’s in Information Technology. Getting back to Afghanistan, I started my career as a computer science professor in the Herat University Computer Science Faculty.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What would you define as few of the most significant turning points in your life that inspire the work you do today?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you are a refugee, living life in a place where they treat you as an unwanted guest was not a pleasant experience. Even accessing a basic right like education was an obstacle. What people tend to think about refugees is that, they come to your country to take your job and steal opportunities out from under you and they are burdens on the community, however what it means to me to be a refugee is that, great things can start with empty hands. My main inspiration was my mother. She learned how to make dresses which she sold to buy us school supplies. She taught me to how to be an entrepreneur and make the best out of the least. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life as an Afghan woman is not easy. They are all fighting for their own basic rights that women in many Western cultures wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) ever think about: laughing out loud, speaking openly in public, grabbing coffee with friends. Still though, let me tell you why I am happy to be a woman from Afghanistan. I have learned so much, specifically:</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to appreciate opportunities even small ones, to never give up in even the most difficult of situations, the patience and tolerance to fight the hardships of life.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How did Code To Inspire come about? What inspired it?</span></div></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my life journey in education, there were many ups and downs which led me to think about how to improve the status quo of education for women in Afghanistan and specifically in technology. Most of the time, when a female student graduated from Computer Science, she couldn’t find the job in the field she studied. Unfortunately there are many factors as to why. As a female graduate in Computer Science, if you get a job offer outside of your hometown, the majority of families won’t let you leave the city. Safety and security is one reason. There is a lack of safe and secure learning environment. That’s why I established Code to Inspire as a social good enterprise in Jan 2015. Later that year, in November, we opened the first coding school for girls in Afghanistan with the aim to educate Afghan women with in-demand programming skills, empower them to add unique value to their communities, and inspire them to strive for financial and social independence. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Could you share a few success stories / anecdotes from your journey so far?</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fcfbfa; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We believe in giving back to the community. Our students are making mobile apps and games that address real local issues. Their graphic and design work, for example, relays a peaceful message to the community</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fcfbfa; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tourism App: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A group of our mobile application development students are creating an app to promote tourism in Afghanistan. They want to show Afghanistan’s lesser known side to the world with all its beautiful nature and attractions. They’re working hard to demonstrate that Afghanistan is not just war and destruction, and there are many historical sites and beautiful places to visit.</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fight against Opium Game:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Inspired by Afghanistan’s national army, our students developed a game in which players fight the Taliban and eradicate opium production. Instead, the fields are used to grow saffron. &nbsp;The beta version of the game will be released soon!</span></div></li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KA1enx6Fw-I/Wffsxa5G2NI/AAAAAAAAG8E/MUoCju1PuLUFu5UnRpvkXPdRSc-_tsPxwCLcBGAs/s1600/Fereshteh%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="584" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KA1enx6Fw-I/Wffsxa5G2NI/AAAAAAAAG8E/MUoCju1PuLUFu5UnRpvkXPdRSc-_tsPxwCLcBGAs/s320/Fereshteh%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What are some of your personal challenges in the journey so far - how have you dealt with them?</span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before establishing Code to Inspire, during the summer of 2014, I left the job I had to seek a new dream! While I lived off of my savings in the Big Apple, I felt very nervous, sad, lost in the world and any sort of negative energy you can think of was spinning around my head. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had no official job and thought to use the opportunity of using my native language to earn income. I ended up finding a language school and began teaching Farsi. I took as many as classes I could because I needed the money to survive, but that wasn’t my main passion. In my inner heart, I always wanted to do something for women in my hometown of Herat, a city I missed so badly. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When first the idea of CTI came to my mind. I talked to as many as people you can imagine, it was just an IDEA right?! Why would someone can trust that this idea would become a reality?! Many people I spoke to were afraid to invest in CTI or even give their time to help. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I tried to use social media like Linkedin to reach out to professionals that I needed their expertise to make my dream come true. By growing my personal network and constantly reaching out to people I got to the point where I was able to register Code to Inspire as a legal entity in the United States. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you face much resistance to the work you do? How do you address it?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, some of my former students thought I made the organization to become rich?! How on earth you can make money with a nonprofit? For almost one year I worked unpaid to cover the costs in Afghanistan. Some of them mocked me and my work on their Facebook! They thought that it was hilarious for women to code games. They thought women belonged in kitchens and for making kids! </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I never replied to their comment as I had a bigger mission to focus on my goal and put my energy on something positive. I believe your actions and outcomes can speak on your behalf.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What's happening next? :) </span></div></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are expanding our coding school and to make that happen we just launched an online </span><a href="https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/building-afghanistan-2-0-with-female-coders/x/10507588" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">crowdfunding campaign t</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o raise 40K where we can educate another group of 80 girls in Herat, Afghanistan how to code. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are also at the final stage of releasing some games and mobile applications that are addressing local problems. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-53626809146017969112017-12-18T00:00:00.000+05:302017-12-18T00:00:00.166+05:30The Queer Question <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lh_xOUQlPFU/WfAJeoKt7TI/AAAAAAAAG7Y/ZCu3FtZpOR0890kQPPyBEWm9N6gfYFgEgCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BQueer%2BQuestion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="828" height="242" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lh_xOUQlPFU/WfAJeoKt7TI/AAAAAAAAG7Y/ZCu3FtZpOR0890kQPPyBEWm9N6gfYFgEgCLcBGAs/s640/The%2BQueer%2BQuestion.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Queer Question is a project started in the hope of dispelling the many myths surrounding the queer community in India. Seeing a lot of misconceptions about queer people and relationships, the lack of information leads to ignorant assumptions, stereotypes and uninformed opinions among other things. Here is a conversation with its founders, April and May.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can you tell us a little about yourselves, in terms of what your growing years, education, work and other elements of your backgrounds are, to the extent comfortable?</span></b></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April: I've grown up in the gulf (Riyadh and Sharjah) for most of my formative years. I moved to Mumbai for my undergraduate degree course and then to Bangalore for my postgrad. I am the cofounder of a support group called The Circle in Mumbai, something three other friends andi started in our third year of undergraduate college. I am an out queer person and I've come out to my parents as well.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May: I was mostly brought up in Chennai and Bangalore although my family originates from Andhra Pradesh. Honestly speaking, the former two places are more 'home’ to me than Andhra. I went to college in Pune and graduated with a degree in media studies. I did briefly work as content writer and copywriter, also did some work in marketing, but I couldn't keep my sanity there, so I shifted to doing some screenplay and production work. But soon after that, I followed my frustration and tried to do music. I've been an indie musician for the last year and half and I've been loving it. As for my family, they're supportive. They're not extremely conservative but a little bit, yes. My brother and sister in law are extremely understanding and help me a lot.</span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><b><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is The Queer Question all about? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></i></b></span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Queer Question is a project started by my partner and me here in India in an attempt to demystify being queer in India (from the mouths of queer people) and more to demystify the existence of lesbian people in the country (both within the community and outside).</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The project is very simple. We created a google form and encouraged our friends and relatives to ask us questions they've always wanted to but wouldn't, anonymously. Our form needs some bare minimum information (demographic) which we thought was necessary also because I am a sociologist and data can always be useful in case we wanted to make this a bigger project. The project has worked quite well till now, we have over 90 questions since June (when we started) and all the questions we've received till now have been very introspective and genuine, barring a few. It's helped us understand that young India is ready for change but we need to get them informed and out of the bubble of assumption. Most places we have worked at and social groups we have been in have been very heteronormative and always question the legitimacy of a relationship that has no phallus in it, and since lesbianism has always been projected as existing for the male gaze, most of us aren't taken seriously. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since we started the project, we've also had a lot of young Indians around the world getting in touch with us to talk about coming out and dealing with things at home. Which has been a beautiful experience for us because we wished we had someone to talk to when we were of that age. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We answer the questions based on the urgency of the answer required (stated by the person asking the question to us in the form) or weekly depending on the amount of research needed on the topic we are asked about. We go by the names April and May (and identify as female, gay and gender queer) so that there is no pre-conceived notion when they fill the google form. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What inspired its creation? How did it come about?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just the need to be there for people like we wanted people that were like us when we were young to look up to and feel like everything will turn out okay. It is also the need to create awareness and educate people about things they fear because they aren’t familiar with it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some of your key goals for the future of The Queer Question?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just consistently do what we are doing. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We want to steadily be more research oriented in many ways, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">visibility is important and we want </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to be a part of more public spaces. </span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What have your challenges been so far? How have you / (are you) overcome / (overcoming) them? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Facebook algorithm doesn't really help us reach the people we want to reach. It's definitely a problem especially when we're putting out answers. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order to overcome this hurdle, we've now included a provision for people to give us their email IDs if they want us to respond to them personally. It's completely optional. We've also included a question that asks if they want us to answer a question by a specific date. This helps us understand the urgency of the situation. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shortly after we started the Facebook page, we set up an Instagram profile. That has been tremendously helpful as instagram is used by younger queer people (as compared to Facebook) because they can follow queer accounts freely without having to worry about someone catching them (esp if they're closeted).</span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="m_-202743106708659463gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Could you share some anecdotes from your journey so far?</b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are constantly surprised by the kind of questions we receive because they’re all so well thought out and always challenge how we think about a lot of things what we know, pushing us to search more and know more. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secondly, every time a young person texts us or emails us personally asking about coming out and how it is to be an out individual, we feel a personal victory because we could reach them and they could find us. Ultimately,even if one person is happy that we were around for them, we have reached a larger part of the journey. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-72325705820445933192017-12-11T00:00:00.000+05:302017-12-11T00:01:16.551+05:30Enabling the Able<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Esha Meher </b>in conversation with Mrs Minu Budhia : psychotheraphist, counsellor and a special mother.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4aC-shLghI/Wia9AEvUnAI/AAAAAAAAHIs/Zk-JW8fyhOwXvNVfwAYZo689QUcMzA-twCLcBGAs/s1600/pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4aC-shLghI/Wia9AEvUnAI/AAAAAAAAHIs/Zk-JW8fyhOwXvNVfwAYZo689QUcMzA-twCLcBGAs/s200/pic2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span lang="EN-IN">Sometimes in life, you realise you don’t have an option. You turn back to appreciate what you have.</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">There had been a period where I considered myself the epitome of misfortune. Death seemed to laugh ever so mockingly, at my vain plans to embrace it. Every time, I crossed a tall building, I counted its floors, to count as to many floors I’d have to climb to plan a fatal jump. Then, there came a moment, where I learnt, that running away is never an answer. Its an option that a lot of people are not given, not because they are not privileged enough but because they are trusted, trusted by destiny to be able to handle the challenges that life tosses their way. And soon thereafter, I learnt to live. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us about your childhood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was born into a large Marwari family in the Tinsukia district of Assam. Having been always recognised as a bright and extroverted student, people knew me for my go-getter spirit. An active sportsperson who proudly displayed trophies in every sport socially possible at that time for a young girl. Being policed by parents or doted by elders, was not a regular occurrence in my life, as morning turned to day and then to dusk, I always found myself busy in the company of my cousins who ran across the place, sprinkling cheer and happiness into every bit of what we call life.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I nursed dreams of taking up medical science as a profession, logistical difficulties stood my way. No school in Assam would admit women to the Science stream, let alone specialised degrees. &nbsp;Humanities was an obvious choice and soon followed the typical Indian life of marriage at 18. In fact I finished my graduation a few years after my marriage from Loreto College in Kolkata.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When was your first brush with the term “special needs?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Terminologically speaking, back in our days, I had almost no idea what special needs stood for. In my maternal town at Tinsukia, there used to be a differently abled young girl. I remember seeing her around, wearing bright clothes and having cluttered hair. I didn’t exactly know what her issue was, but everyone dismissively said, “pagal hai”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I remained a stranger to medically and socially tailored terms for a very long time, the understanding that certain people were different in terms of their social needs and expressions probably took root in my mind from this time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the free spirited 18 year old, how did you deal with marriage and the responsibilities it brought along?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As it is often said, sayings weren’t coined in a day. We’ve heard them say, once a rebel, always a rebel! And it could not have gotten any real for me as a young bride of 18, often spotting myself at cross roads with my in-laws, standing up for what I felt was unfair. My husband, Sanjay, has always been a pillar of support. In my quest of challenging archaic traditions, and speaking out aloud when I thought I wouldn’t comply, I had him by my side, espousing my cause before family at first, then society and at all stages of life, thereafter. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When motherhood finally arrived, I was too overwhelmed with everything around me, to feel or understand the difference, to be honest… and my naivette and relative immaturity due to my age wasn’t helping as well. Policed by rituals and guided by restrictions, there were too many excited family members who stepped in to offer advice and give a list of dos and donts. Amidst thisrestricted schedule, my first child made her way into the world and our hearts, we named her, Preeyam. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Did motherhood feel any different raising your younger child? <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Certainly did. To be very honest, the first time, I even experienced the bond between a mother and an unborn child, was when I conceived my younger daughter, Prachi.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Like most Indian families, the first child is always the recipient of love and attention from every nook and cranny of the extended circle. &nbsp;Our family was no exception.Grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins queued up to dote on Preeyam, I was left overwhelmed. As Preeyam grew up, my life progressed at a rapid speed, it didn’t take me long to realise that she had taken to me when it came to being active and quick on her toes and little arms. She was the naughty multi tasker, who had a special love for breaking perfume bottles! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With Prachi, things were different. I was a much experienced and matured woman with this passage of time. She came into our lives 8 years after Preeyam was born. In the years that had passed in the middle, I had miscarried a few times and had prayed fervently to god for a healthy child. My prayers had finally been answered.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I doted on Prachi and literally carried her in my arms all the time, till she reached the age of two. Her medical reports were perfect as the growth chart recorded that she was growing just fine. We put her in the best kindergarden there was, in the city, and that’s where it all started. Complaints started pouring in, every single day. Probably an interesting illustration of how even the most prestigious of pre schools, can be completely ignorant to symptoms of special needs subjecting the young children to anger, mockery and ridicule in their own ways. “Prachi is the perpetual talk of the staffroom, she is so naughty” </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon, instances of Prachi’s “naughtiness” took severe turns. My husband and elder daughter would be apprehensive of taking her to social gatherings or five star restaurants, as she would show blatant disregard to any form of decorum, running around and being restless within a matter of seconds. But I was adamant, I refused to acknowledge that she might be in need of a clinical diagnosis. I insisted that she be treated normally and everyone be indifferent to the obvious difference that Prachi brought along. But this could not have gone along for long. We finally decided to take her to Bangalore for a harmless diagnosis to a presumably tiny issue. It was there in that city, that our daughter was diagnosed with Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Low IQ. The terms were told to me, but the meaningless words bounced off my ears. I was far from ready. Far from the reality of being the mother of a special child. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B82m-fQMTfc/Wia9AAI9y1I/AAAAAAAAHIw/XxAdgrxT6t8WF5jjjBKsHhPC_3nqPFtOgCLcBGAs/s1600/pic3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B82m-fQMTfc/Wia9AAI9y1I/AAAAAAAAHIw/XxAdgrxT6t8WF5jjjBKsHhPC_3nqPFtOgCLcBGAs/s200/pic3.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could you talk about what happened next? <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh! What followed that was a long long walk down a path that seemed to never reach its destination. When the news was finally broken to me, my world crashed. I took the blame on myself. As if, bearing a special child was a fault of mine. I could have been a better mother, done something, changed something to alter the course of things. Within a span of a few days, I sunk into the depths of depression and was completely suicidal.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The family panicked. Their entire attention turned to me. People sympathised. Some reminded me of the existence of god and his illusions and some sympathised, saying the most over used phrase in the world, “it shall be all right”. People were scared to breach the topic before me, and life at Budhia house seemed all the more tense, as everyone grew further scared to pronounce out loud, what was evident and had now been confirmed by medical sources.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From being clinically depressed and suicidal to standing up-to reality, and then conceiving an intitiative like Caring Minds… What was that journey like?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The firat half of the struggle was real as I had lost sight of things. We travelled extensively with Prachi in search of treatment. One day we were in Bangalore, and the next day, I wanted to fly to Philadelphia for better doctors and better treatment. For ten long years of our lives, we were almost based out of Bangalore. We had an apartment there and for every vacation that Preeyam had in school, they invariably knew where she would have to head to. I even started insisting that Preeyam take the SAT exams so that the three of us (Preeyam, Prachi and I) could relocate to America, where Prachi could have perpetual access to better treatment. And behind the curtains, I was still a broken woman. I could not let my anxiety affect my husband. Sanjay was being the most supportive entity that one could have ever hoped for, if I poured my insecurities onto him, it would jeopardise his career. It was the same phase where he was heading our family business and had just being elected the Chairman of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. I could not have dragged him down. I made sure I was a good wife, an amiable partner. Attending social gatherings and greeting people, but almost everyday as the sun hit the horizon, I would be haunted by my luck and my reality. I would curse my stars and cry on the phone with my mother. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Things took a steep turn, when I realised I could not escape. I was Prachi’s mother. If I could not accept her the way she was, it would be foolhardy to expect the world to. I had to train myself to not only be a good mother to her but also be that entity in her life who could guide her along the way. My unnurtured love for medical science was brought to the forefront as I pursued a degree in counselling from the United States, just so that I could understand her situation better. And it was this degree that changed my life. I subsequently trained myself in Cognitive Behaviour Theraphy from London and started actively practising in Calcutta. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The path to practice in established hospitals and then finally conceiving the idea of Caring Minds, an instituion that would render all mental health services under one roof, was not without hinderaces and challenges. But that’s another story in itself! Emotions sometimes pull us down. Instead of being the light in our lives, it blinds us with intensity, it is at phases&nbsp; like this that we need to lay it to rest. Diagnosing a situation objectively. And for that, there is no shame in objectively doing what is healthy. And sometimes, actively distancing oneself from a loved one is the healthy thing to do.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Besides being academically enriching, your years of pursuing these degrees made a lasting impression on your life. How did that come about?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These years redefined my relationship with my own self and that’s how it changed my life. For the longest time after Prachi was born, I felt like time was lead bound, it never moved. All I knew and heard and saw was the fact that my child would never grow. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was only after a point, that I remembered that I had a life too. I was a woman who lived before she became a mother, and I owed something to her. I had to live. For myself and for Prachi. Strength for me was not an option that I could choose or forego. I had to appreciate the fact that I was still living and I wanted to live on. Live for Prachi, live for my family and live for myself. Amidst the shouts and wails of the wife, mother and other social roles that I had, I had completely suffocated the woman in me. I realised that the world worked in strange ways. The weaker you are, the more people would pull you down. Whatever your reality might be, the only way was to embrace it and wear it like an armour. I decided to start stepping out of the house without Prachi and started living for myself. I employed trained staff to be around my child albeit with supervision. And suddenly my days got lighter and easier.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing I could not help but notice was how my emotions were pulling us down instead of helping my daughter. The emotional involvement that I had with her was intense and the slightest movement in her would send me in a complete state of panic. I learnt to finally let go, for both our sakes. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But having said that, I never stopped training Prachi. While she was always accompanied by a professional set of governesses who were trained to handle her, I was still her first coach for everything. Every sport, be it swimming, badminton, squash or cycling, I made sure, I mentored her in each of these. But this continued, only till the time she turned thirteen. Another storm hit us thereafter…</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">**pauses**</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Prachi was thirteen, she was diagnosed with Bipolarity. Her mood changed every minute and she had no control over the extremities of her emotions. But this time, for me, things were different. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I diagnosed her condition much before the doctors did. As luck would have it, when she started showing the earliest signs of Bipolarity, I was reading a book called, “Raising a Moody Child”, and I couldn’t help noticing that my life beyond the pages bore an eerie similarity to what was being written about, in the book. We had written to her doctors in the States who were still trying to figure out the reasons behind her sudden mood swings. It was me who suggested, that she be tested for Bipolarity and soon enough the results confirmed my diagnosis. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bipolar Disorder is not a life threatening terminal illness, it is rather commonplace affecting hundreds of people every day. It does have medication but is by and large a mood disorder where a peson can feel extremes of emotions within a short span of time. It aggravates with hunger, fatigue etc. It does have medication but no complete cure. But Prachi’s case was different. Things would be particularly difficult because she already suffered from ADHD. In the case of an advent of yet another mood disorder, she would not be able to handle it, as she never understood the need to manage it anyway.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ADHD is a condition where an individual is perpetually in a state of hyperactivity, and that’s what Prachi faced. The viable mode of treatment was to engage her in physically taxing activities, which would tire her down. But with the onset of Bipolarity, that could not happen anymore. On some days, she would play Badminton with great rigour and enthusiasm, the next day, she would refuse to touch the racket. The battle was on, for me. Just that, this time, I was not going to give up. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would it be fair to say that these conditions are untreatable?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you do when you get diagnosed with something like Asthma or Migraine? There is no permanent solution right? When the attack appears, you medicate yourself. Then it subsides on its own. The situation though not identical, is somewhat similar. There are medications, which are </span>administered<span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;when the symptoms get severe and what is of particular significance is the avoidance of known aggravators. As long as a controlled, predictable lifestyle is maintained, life goes on. And its perfectly fine. On the onset of a rough attack, there are medications which improve things.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you share the story of Caring Minds?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I had started my practice as a psychotheraphist and counsellor at Belle Vue Clinic and St Xaviers College, I realised that the city lacked the infrastructure for mental healthcare. All I was mostly doing, was referring people to different places. Place X for speech theraphy, place Y for psychometric testing and so on. I realised that the need of the hour was to have a place which would provide all services related to mental healthcare under one roof. And that is when we conceived the idea of Caring Minds. My husband, Sanjay, being the supportive entity that he is, immediately arranged for a proposed roadmap, probable site and then began conducing interviews for staff.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And there it was. We were shocked to find out, that the area where the proposed clinic would be had their residents protesting as they “had objections to mad people coming here everyday”. They had somehow gone to Court and obtained a stay order. I was devastated. All preparations were done. Staff had been hired and there it was. Everything stalled. Getting into long drawn litigation was not something I wanted. I had a mission to achieve and Caring Minds had to start operating. My elder daughter Preeyam had just quit her job as a banker in London. I called Pree and told her, that I needed her back in the city and there she was, with her neck deep in papers and ideas for Caring Minds, in no time. We decided to start the initiative from a single room in our house itself. That would be the Caring Minds office. We made way for a desk, chair and other furniture befitting of the place and that’s where we first set up shop! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a matter of some time, we realised that the Court Case would not see its end and I asked Sanjay, if we could look for a new property. We soon obtained the land at Sarat Bose Road, where our Caring Minds Clinic proudly stands today not lacking in space, facilities or any amenity that one could seek therein. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Caring Minds now has yet another little faction, called I Can Flyy. How did that come about?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I Can Flyy is a vocational training institute for Special Needs Young Adults. The individuals here are of the age 15 to 30 and they are trained in Art &amp; Craft, Bakery Skills, Data Entry and other ancillary life skills that can give them a stable livelihood in future. The Craft items made by them are sold by pre order at the I Can Flyy Craft Factory and the food and bakery items are sold in the café as well as the Food Factory. The latest addition to the institute is Café I Can Flyy, which is Kolkata’s first café to be run entirely by and for the interests of Special Needs Individuals. We often bit and request corporate houses who outsource their data entry jobs to outsource it to us at I Can Flyy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I raised, Prachi, the thoughts about her future continued to haunt me. What was she to do when she grows up. Her life could not be at the behest of someone else the whole time. That is when thoughts about her and hundreds of other special needs individuals started circling my mind. There had to be a way to socially and economically empower them, as to also increase their sense of self worth in society. A life with dignity is a fundamental right hat we deserve on the basis of our human birth and nothing else, I Can Flyy is an initiative which reaffirms the same, to prove that Special Needs Individuals are just as abled as any other person, just in a different way. They need our love, faith and support, not a sense of empty sympathy. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In your life as a mother of a special needs individual and the founder director of I Can Flyy, how and where do you draw the fine line between empathy and professionalism?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Its difficult, true. But not impossible to achieve. While empathy is an important emotion, using it too much can hinder goals especially when it involves making a change in a diverse society as ours. As the Director of I Can Flyy, I do meet parents quite often, and while I do understand their pains, sometimes I need to make decisions which may not be pleasing to them. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I Can Flyy is a vocational training school, we cannot make place for individuals with severe disabilities or restricted motor functions. While we do make a few exceptions, the ratio is quite strict, for every 5 functioning special needs individuals, there can be 1 severe case. If I make way for almost every parent who knocks on our door, I shall soon be running a special school, which we are not. There are certain criteria that an individual has to meet to be here, and we cant compromise on those very often. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In your interaction with society first as a mother, and then as a professional, how have you felt their reception/acceptance/perception of Special Needs Individuals to be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ignorant.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s the answer. The lack of awareness and then sensitivity about Special Needs in today’s day and age is appalling. But then again its varied across the different layers of society. The Middle Class and the Upper Middle Class believe that the solution lies in denial. The other day, I took Prachi to the Consulate for visa related formalities and there was a well dressed girl, who stared at her persistently. After a point of time, I walked up to her and told her, that she was a Special Child and please don’t stare like that. I believe that the few of us who know must not avoid sharing and educating people, wherever we can, in whatever way, we can. However, in stark contrast lies a memory of mine. Once I was at a street vegetable vendors’ and I noticed that she had a special child. The kid was right there, in the marketplace, doing whatever little work that he could do. That was the best illustration of proud acceptance that I had seen. The mother hadn't hidden the child fro the world or refused public association with him. She knew he was different and it was a part of life. She understood, that he may not be able to perform every task in the manner others do. But that doesn’t make him disabled or uncommon. He still could and did work, just in a different way and a different set of work.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any regrets in life? If you could turn back time and do things differently, what would you change?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No regrets. None at all.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN">I am a blessed individual. I have a supportive husband and family. I have two loving daughters. Preeyam is a bright young woman handling the family business, an able co founder for I Can Flyy and Heading New Initiatives for Caring Minds. We have the best mother daughter relationship ever! There is literally no taboo topic between us.&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-IN">And Prachi is my darling. She is my strength and inspiration. She helped me rediscover myself and appreciate life like never before. I think of moments when I had cursed my luck and often wonder how wrong I was. I know of a gentleman, who had two sons, one of them passed away of a terminal illness and the other child is autistic. I see him live life, I see him smile, walk and fold his hands in prayer before the same god, whose existence I once doubted.&nbsp;</span>It is all a matter of perspective. Its all out there before us. It ultimately comes down to what we choose to see.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Your parting words to us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Society is an evolving being and its progressing each day. Its made up of nothing, but a bunch of individuals like you and me. If we start by educating ourselves in the language of peace, love and compassion, it’s the single most important step, taken in the direction of evolution or advancement.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In so far as Special Needs is concerned, the Indian society still lags behind. There is no awareness on a national scale and no clear idea as to what is the way ahead. In countries like the United States, Special Needs is a much more integrated concept. The schooling system there is starkly different. Kids mostly go to the school in their neighbourhood and the same school is open to all children. Once a child grows up seeing a special needs individual in their class itself, he/she is much more understanding of their needs and ways. While in India, nothing legally can stop a Special Needs Child from going to a regular school, such a thing is never heard of. Inclusive education is almost a myth and that is what needs to change. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span lang="EN-IN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And as for parents and mothers of special children, I would just have one thing to say. God often chooses the strongest and the best of us as a parent to a special child, because we have it in us to accept God’s purest creation the way it is, and make society a different place. The onus on us is always to lead the way. Hence, the first step ever is to value our own selves, and strengthen our wills, for giving up or giving way for another, is not an option for us.&nbsp;</span></span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-51099968814119517962017-12-04T00:00:00.000+05:302017-12-04T00:00:22.794+05:30Emerging Hope Lanka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5A6GTDvWvyY/WYDPX8dZ3fI/AAAAAAAAGiQ/0Ge3SUbKGp8-SVMGGIZPQPB6BkiH42v-wCLcBGAs/s1600/Nilu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1251" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5A6GTDvWvyY/WYDPX8dZ3fI/AAAAAAAAGiQ/0Ge3SUbKGp8-SVMGGIZPQPB6BkiH42v-wCLcBGAs/s320/Nilu.jpg" width="250" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore is home to over 200,000 foreign domestic workers who migrate every year from Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka in search of financial security. Employed as domestic helpers, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">these women perform domestic chores such as cleaning, cooking, serving, dishwashing, elderly care and childcare and are required to live with their employers. Nilushika Silva Jayaweera came to Singapore in 2001 to work as a domestic helper and has worked here for 15 years. Despite having worked for years, Nilushika was often left with no savings, which is experienced by most of the domestic workers here, as remittances form a huge part of their financial decisions. But that did not stop her from working hard to overcome these monumental challenges and turn her dreams into reality. In 2017, she returned back to Sri Lanka, but as an entrepreneur. Today, Nilushika is a proud founder of not just her online tea business that has a global market, but also a nonprofit called Emerging Hope Lanka that provides business coaching and training to women in Sri Lanka. &nbsp;She was also invited to speak at TEDxSingapore in 2016. Here is her story that speaks volumes of her determination to change her destiny. </span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us about your background to the extent comfortable and your life in Singapore? </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">My name is Nilushika Silva Jayaweera. I am 36 years old and I am from Sri Lanka. I am the oldest of my five siblings. When I was 16 years old, I lost my parents and I had to take charge and look after my family. As financially we were struggling and hardly had anything to survive on, we were sent to an orphanage. At the age of 18, I took up a job in a garment factory in Sri Lanka. Although it was a lot of work for very little money, this job gave me a sense of independence and I wanted to support my younger siblings. That is when I left home for Singapore to work as a domestic helper. For the first time I was out in a new country all by myself. I was very scared and lacked the confidence to communicate as I could hardly speak or write English. But all I knew was, I had to work hard so that I could give my siblings a good life. </span><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did you decide to start your own business- &nbsp;Tell us more about your journey as a businesswoman.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2011, with my employer’s support, I enrolled for a course in financial literacy and management at Aidha, a micro business school. At Aidha, I learnt how to manage my money and all the pre-requisites for starting and running a business. From writing a business plan, to the nuances of marketing your business and pitching your business idea to a potential pool of investors, I picked up these different business and leadership skills at Aidha. I realised, when we learn new skills, it creates more choices and possibilities. I could now envision a new future for myself, my family as well as my communities in Sri Lanka. I learnt the ways in which I could translate my ideas into reality. And yes, I discovered freedom, freedom to make choices and determine my own future. My friends and mentors have played a key role in supporting me in this journey. With their help, I also enrolled for a course in leadership that helped me develop both personally and professionally. I founded my own business- an online tea venture, which now has a global market with clients from France, USA, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is not a very big business. But however small it is, it is mine and I feel great about it as I have never had anything that belonged to me before. &nbsp;My education empowered me and helped me shape my destiny. I strongly believe that EDUCATION and EMPOWERMENT are very important to enable women to have a brighter future. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/62l16HY8GXc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/62l16HY8GXc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">You recently launched your own NGO- Emerging Hope Lanka. What has been instrumental in your decision to start Emerging Hope Lanka and what do you wish to achieve? </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many organizations that are doing some amazing and significant work to empower women in Sri Lanka. However, most of them focus on providing mainstream academic education to young girls. While education is very important, only learning concepts and theories does not help. Education needs to empower individuals so that they are more empathetic, sensitive and learn about their own worth and rights as human beings. What is the use of education in a society that doesn’t value women. Unless women make their voices heard and have the agency to make a choice, the knowledge they gain does not help in any way. It is important for women to be able to make decisions and not follow the rules and norms set by their fathers, brothers, husbands or uncles. And that decision-making is possible only if women get the opportunity to be independent and determine their own future. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I strongly feel that entrepreneurial and leadership training will have a significant impact in the lives of women and communities in Sri Lanka. The way business and leadership skills have helped me, I am confident that other women will also hugely benefit from such a training. I want to pass on all that I have learnt so that women can create a brighter future for themselves and their families. By working with the women in my community, I want to create a community of micro entrepreneurs. Starting and running their own businesses will not only make them independent but also help them support their families economically. It is not easy to leave your family and migrate to another city or country in search of financial stability. Thus, </span><a href="http://www.emerginghopelanka.org/" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Emerging Hope Lanka</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will support them in their entrepreneurial journey while giving them the opportunity to be economically self-sufficient while staying with their families. &nbsp;&nbsp;Today, I am working with 30 Sri Lankan women, teaching them how to start a micro-business in areas like chicken or pig-farming, flower growing, dressmaking, spice packing and many more. And I am happy to share that 10 women are all set to &nbsp;launch their businesses. Women can now use their earnings to support the education of their children. And the children get to benefit from the academic knowledge they learn at school as well as the entrepreneurial knowledge from their confident, independent and empowered mothers at home. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are the major challenges that you face in achieving these goals and how do you overcome the same?</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like most nonprofits, lack of funding has been a major challenge. We are constantly in need of staff and volunteers to help us run our day-to-day activities, Further, we are also trying to find a school space to conduct our training sessions. At the moment, I have been self-funding all the programmes and workshops. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can the community support you in your endeavor?</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are different ways in which one can help Emerging Hope Lanka. You can be our ambassador and spread the word about the work we do. One can sign-up to be a volunteer and help us conduct our sessions or help us with other activities such as fundraising and exploring meaningful collaborations. We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds to help women kickstart their micro-businesses as well as build resources to support our programmes. You can choose to donate. &nbsp;Every donation counts and will significantly help us take our programmes to a wider community of women. You can also follow us on Facebook and be updated on our work and the impact. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To support Emerging Hope Lanka’s crowdfunding campaign, you can visit: </span><a href="https://give.asia/story/empowering_woman_through_education_emerging_hope_lanka" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://give.asia/story/empowering_woman_through_education_emerging_hope_lanka</span></a><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can also follow their work on Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EmergingHopeLanka/videos/263283327431752/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.facebook.com/EmergingHopeLanka/videos/263283327431752/</span></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /></span></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-7682918069171929832017-11-27T00:00:00.000+05:302017-11-27T00:00:02.249+05:30Ananke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HNPnbXlXtmI/Wa6uOVcGH-I/AAAAAAAAGxU/kZ72O-9DkKQR9_FNA7pX5Vw3rNyMmHFOgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="722" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HNPnbXlXtmI/Wa6uOVcGH-I/AAAAAAAAGxU/kZ72O-9DkKQR9_FNA7pX5Vw3rNyMmHFOgCLcBGAs/s320/Sabin.jpg" width="195" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sabin Muzaffar is the founder of Ananke Magazine, an initiative that publishes mindful content for women, online. Here is an interview with her.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us a bit about yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hail from Karachi, Pakistan and was born in a family of Marxists and revolutionaries. My grandfather was in the Indian Communist Party's Central Committee, ideals that were imprinted on my dad and have largely influenced me as well. So I belong to a family with a mindset, which has generationally striven&nbsp;to change the status quo of society - the ills and injustices. The first story I remember my dad&nbsp;telling&nbsp;me was of my grandfather - now some 60-70 years ago - how he had heard screams and shouts outside the house and had gone out to see a couple of burly looking men&nbsp;hitting&nbsp;a woman amidst an 'awe-struck' crowd doing nothing. I was told it was my grandfather who had slapped one of the bullies&nbsp;who reeled back in surprise and eventually stepped away. The lesson that I learnt from that story early on is not to let bullies get away - stand up and step up! I was always a voracious reader and my early readings included&nbsp;children stories&nbsp;about Lenin. In grade 8th, I discovered my granddad's treasure trove of books, so my days were spent in the company of Pushkin, Tolstoy,&nbsp;Dostoevsky, Gorky, Maupassant , Zola and many more.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> But at the same time, it was not all rosy as well.&nbsp;Living in a patriarchal society, I both witnessed and experienced what it meant to be a girl in an eastern society. Not to&nbsp;stereotype but it is what it is. From hearing about a young girl - our&nbsp;neighbour's hired help - being murdered by her brother suspicious of her having an 'illicit' relationship to workplace gender biases etc, I was one of the million girls leading the so-called ordinary life. One thing set me apart - I was never silent when it came to&nbsp;inequalities, inequities and injustices. I have learnt from early childhood to always stand up or be a road kill. As Sansa Stark says (taught by Lord Bailesh) in GoT 'There is no justice in the world, not unless we make it.'&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coming to my education, I did my Bachelors in&nbsp;English Literature and Masters in Political Science from the University of Karachi. But before that, right after finishing high-school, I started working as a trainee sub editor at daily The News International. So&nbsp;I started my professional career even before enrolling into the university.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I spent three years at The News, then joined monthly SHE magazine as assistant editor and later monthly SPIDER Internet Magazine, Health &amp; Beauty. Just as I was a voracious reader, it might seem pompous of me to say that I was quite a prolific writer as well and&nbsp;contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines including Aurora, Women's Own etc.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> After marriage, we moved to Dubai and I started freelancing for print and digital media such as a little bit in Khaleej Times, Gulf News, ITP Publishing, MangooBaaz, Pakwired, BBVA OPENMIND, Bayzaat, Tuck Magazine, She the People.tv, Calcus Publishing and many more. I have been privileged to see my work being reprinted by international media and digital outlets such as InsideAsean.com, Techjuice, Glassbreakers etc. Apart from my work at Ananke, I still write for other women-centric media outlets such as International Women's&nbsp;Initiative (IWI)&nbsp;because its all about raising awareness so more the merrier.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<b><i>What inspired the creation of Ananke?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was actually during my stint at Calcus&nbsp;Publishing.&nbsp;Calcus is an agency that collaborates with Gulf News and/or Khaleej&nbsp;Times to bring out marketing&nbsp;magazines like CEO, where we interviewed movers and shakers of the corporate world&nbsp;across the GCC primarily. In about two years, I interviewed 200+ people in C-suite or director level positions. And almost 75 percent of them were men. And that is what triggered it all. It was at the same time I began to wonder why women in leadership roles, women trailblazers weren't being either interviewed or being documented. This was back in 2014. And I just felt not enough was being done though there were (and are) some amazing magazines but just a handful. That is how Ananke came into existence. I wanted a platform that not only showcased female trailblazers but to highlight them as role models for young generation of women to emulate and follow lead. In&nbsp;addition to this, I wanted a platform that engaged (mainly) women into a meaningful conversation about gender, and how women have a critical role to play in literally every sphere of life and society.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So with just a&nbsp;crazy passion, I decided to&nbsp;launch an electronic magazine December 2014. With more than 17 years of&nbsp;experience in print and digital media at that time and a determination that I could do it - I launched Ananke. I hired my husband's friend to&nbsp;help me with the&nbsp;technical aspect of the website but from content, SEO, interviews, social media - I did everything myself. Slowly and gradually, Ananke came into its own. Because I was a UN Women's&nbsp;Empower Women Global Champion 2015-2016 at that time, I collaborated with the organization, advocating women's economic empowerment, raising awareness against gender-based violence etc.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">I&nbsp;strongly&nbsp;believe in the power of collaboration and have made many allies such as&nbsp;Empower Women, Circlewomen.org, Sayfty, Women's Digital League, Women Engineer's Pakistan, The India Trumpet and many more.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you talk about the current situation relating to gender equality and women's rights in the MENA region?&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I think - in my humble opinion - we have come a long way from the suffragette movement to the feminist revolution and so on. But there is so much more that needs to be done. Every milestone that we have achieved, we achieved in this century while women - the likes of the&nbsp;philosopher&nbsp;Hypatia and the ordinary women alike - have suffered at the hands of hegemonic patriarchy throughout millennia. Yes there have been many women trailblazers but generally women suffered devastatingly&nbsp;because they had no rights, no bodily&nbsp;autonomy and they still&nbsp;don't.&nbsp;&nbsp;And over the last few years, even though there is&nbsp;a lot&nbsp;of buzz surrounding women's empowerment especially after CEDAW, the MDGs and now the SDGs - I feel, have seen and told how many things are&nbsp;going&nbsp;backwards. Look at the US, women are fighting for the rights to their bodily autonomy - a right they had worked so hard to gain... now in the Trump-era, this hard fought battle needs to be dealt with all over again. Australia is another example where the plight of women, women's homelessness is on the increase. And this controversy 'to wear or not to wear' a burkha,&nbsp;burkini or a bikini. So we do have miles and miles to go. And we can only move forward through education and banding together as one with one voice - Women&nbsp;Empowering Women.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coming over to&nbsp;the MENA region. It is a hotbed. The situation is not very&nbsp;easy to encapsulate because there&nbsp;are many factors that includes poverty and conflict, social norms and mindset as well as multi ethnoculturalism&nbsp;- which actually&nbsp;brings everyone together - now because of outside influences (having ulterior&nbsp;economic motives) triggers conflict. Women (and children) being some of the most vulnerable groups suffer the most. On the other side of the spectrum are countries like the UAE - with a vision to bring about&nbsp;harmony through inclusion and diversity. And you can see how the&nbsp;country has progressed.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are some of the challenges you have faced in the work that you do?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Investment, funding is the only challenge we really face. We&nbsp;launched&nbsp;a digital internship program for women in girls where participants can&nbsp;work&nbsp;for us virtually. Its a digital office where interns get to work in a real-world scenario and gain&nbsp;experience&nbsp;in terms of advocacy, digital media, journalism and communication. It has been quite a successful program with us mentoring over 25 girls in a single year from literally all across the world (Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, UAE, Pakistan,&nbsp;Australia, the US and Canada).So we want to expand that and also offer the program to talented refugees. Because of their political status, its hard for them to get a job and&nbsp;we want to offer them a&nbsp;platform where they could not only gain&nbsp;experience, share&nbsp;<i>their</i>&nbsp;experiences but also earn a bit of money.&nbsp;Other than that&nbsp;being&nbsp;the eternal optimist and a very determined person - I take everything&nbsp;head-on :)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What inspires you to do the work that you do?&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Women - their plight, agony, the injustices as well as our resilience! I am talking about all the "Mother India" out there... the Angela Davis, Phoolan Devis and Berta Caceres&nbsp;of this world.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you share a few stories / anecdotes from your work so far?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">One story is that of my intern - Josephine Adeti. She wrote a letter to me thanking me for launching Ananke. I shall just quote her here:&nbsp;</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Ananke gave me a lot of confidence, it allowed me do things I never thought I would with my feebleness. I began writing articles and Sabin, you were very encouraging. You published almost all of them when I thought they did not even deserve your attention. Little by little, my dream of becoming a journalist sprang back to life like a mushroom. I totally loved everything about Ananke. I came to appreciate the effort of raising awareness about various issues that are not spoken of in our communities. Initially, I thought it was a waste of our precious time talking among ourselves about these matters during twitter campaigns as I could not see any tangible results. But now I know better… Dear Sabin, I could write a whole ten page article about my experience and exposure through Ananke. I am just so very glad to be part and parcel of Ananke and I want to let you know you have changed a life in some part of the world. The life of a young girl is now taking a better shape simply because you chose to pursue your dream. And I would conclude with my most favorite quote: As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. And as we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others. Thank you for letting your own light shine. Mine is now shining too because yours stood out first.</i></div></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are also an Empower Women Champion! Can you tell us a bit about that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was selected by UN Women's Empower Women to be their Global Champion for Women's&nbsp;Economic&nbsp;Empowerment&nbsp;in 2015-2016. It was an amazing&nbsp;experience. It was a batch of 75 women and men from all across the world. It was a brilliant&nbsp;experience because the organization helped me connect with some amazing people, like-minded individuals and trailblazers. We had so much fun and so&nbsp;much learning through our advocacy&nbsp;campaigns online and off! We collaborated on many ideas and saw the impact we made by working harmoniously&nbsp;together. It also brought in a diverse set of ideas to life. Last year, I was selected as an&nbsp;Empower Women Mentor to inspire the new batch pertaining to advocacy, inclusion, and diversity. It was a wonderful&nbsp;experience to see fresh new faces excited to take the reins and help&nbsp;make the world a better place.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-74025829751700155482017-11-13T00:00:00.000+05:302017-11-13T00:00:13.499+05:30Weaving an inclusive Web <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Aparna Vedapuri Singh, the founder and CEO of Women’s Web, channeled a passion to create an</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mnIxb-R03W4/WaargGmnRQI/AAAAAAAAGtI/YU3pR3l3VsAzRLzgm2rD4k13xfn3UkhYwCLcBGAs/s1600/Aparna%2BProfile%2BPic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mnIxb-R03W4/WaargGmnRQI/AAAAAAAAGtI/YU3pR3l3VsAzRLzgm2rD4k13xfn3UkhYwCLcBGAs/s1600/Aparna%2BProfile%2BPic.png" /></a></i></div><i> <span id="goog_395695925"></span><span id="goog_395695926"></span>&nbsp;inclusive space for women from all walks of life through her platform. Here is her story.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The journey into writing<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I always loved working with words. I think I have been very, very lucky to grow up in a home where books were not seen as taking you away from your studies or being seen as pointless. I think I was lucky to have been born in a household as a loved child who was understood for her love for words. I was always encouraged to read and write. As long as I can remember, even when I was eight, if you asked me what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t have much of an idea of what it entailed. I had a natural inclination to working in a creative space. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Having said that, my career actually did not begin in this place. While my graduation is in literature and journalism, I went into the marketing research and communications space. My corporate career has spanned across B2B Marketing, business development and market research – and for almost ten years, spanned across large corporate and then in an individual capacity, related to this capacity. Throughout, I have been writing as an individual blogger. I was interested in poetry and short fiction. I have always been very interested in writing – although unfortunately I’m not writing as much as I would like to now. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Starting off<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I started my own individual blog in 2003-2004. I was one of the early bloggers in the country when blogging had begun to take cyber space by storm. It also helped me get in touch with other feminist bloggers. I realized that we were not these oddballs, angry feminists or any of those stereotypes. There are as many different kinds of feminists as there are women. Some of us express ourselves with anger, some of us express ourselves with humour, some through fiction – and all of these are perfectly valid ways of engaging with the world. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And if there are things women are angry about, why do we fear anger so much? Why do we especially fear women’s anger so much?&nbsp; Because there is the underlying belief that women must be seen and not heard, and that women are beautiful objects to be enjoyed but must have no negative emotions like anger or fear. As long as women are seen as self-sacrificing, they are seen as strong. Like the single woman who gives up everything for her children, or a rags-to-riches story – these are important stories and are certainly respectable, but we appreciate only a kind of sacrificial strength in women. Things like anger are seen as a selfish sort of strength. A righteous anger in the cause of your children, for instance, is always appreciated. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The birth of Women’s Web<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The internet opened me up to the world of feminist blogging. Not just feminist blogging, but to the fact that there is incredible diversity among women, and women are so much more than what the world gives them credit for. I was still in the corporate world in that space, and began writing. I had a blog, had readers and people who came to engage with my work. I guess that evolved into the next step – if women are so diverse and have diverse interests with the need to talk about different things, why should women’s media and media for women be so uni-dimensional? Personally, I like fashion, but that’s not the only thing about me, or about women in general. A woman interested in fashion can love technology and animals. Another woman may have interests outside of fashion and may not be interested in fashion at all. When it comes to women, there was and is a constant stereotype that women love dressing up and want to spend their husbands’ money. Women’s Web emerged from the need to embrace that diversity. In the early years, it was not a business, but now it has evolved as a media business. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We are an all-women team. There is an assumption that everything that women do is just either a hobby or a not-so-serious passion, or not for profit. Of course there is a space for non-profits but it is not for everyone. There is no need to assume that women’s initiatives must be altruistic alone. We see the space for something to work with a business model, while challenging the notion of frivolity and the superficial understanding of women’s initiatives. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Breaking the Glass Ceiling<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a woman in business, I have found fewer challenges than as a woman in the corporate world, and that’s also partly because the corporate world is changing and there is more conversation today. When I was in the corporate world, from 2000 to 2010, I had an exciting career, I travelled a lot and had a challenging career – hard targets, leading a product line and such. I enjoyed doing all those things. I didn’t face any major crisis. I was probably not at a stage where I was pushing up against the glass ceiling. I was still in the middle managerial level – where until that point, women don’t face as much of a pushback. Women are very good in doing the hard work that is involved in junior and middle managerial levels. We are doing a lot of the grunt work – women are hard workers, and the space at that stage was for performance rather than positioning. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Having said that, I have come across my fair share of sleazy bosses. Even ten years ago, in none of the companies I worked with, did I hear the term “workplace sexual harassment” being uttered, leave alone having a policy. While I have not faced anything significant, we all knew it existed. For instance, new joinees would be subtly told to steer clear of a guy or to avoid being alone with so-and-so if they were staying late. The conversation was never about what the organization was doing about this. That was the industry I was working in, and that was the atmosphere – there was no awareness that it was the organization’s responsibility to create a safe space for their women and not for the women themselves to identify the creeps and steer clear of them.&nbsp; Women faced it then, and a decade later, women face it now – but there is at least some conversation. There is room for women to speak up and not take it sitting down. I do hear plenty of horror stories from industries where HR managers turn around and ask women what they did to contribute to it. It is not hunky dory, but that women can and do speak up about it is improvement over what it was. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Somewhere, there is a perception that a female-founded team is a hobby, or a charity. Even when one is a profitable business for instance, there is this perception that an all-women team is not a serious business. I must say I have not come across explicit prejudice. Prejudice is rarely that explicit – or at least people have wizened up about how not to express their prejudice. While I haven’t personally faced too much of it yet, I’ve heard enough to understand that the subtle bias of a female-founded or all-women team does exist. Somewhere, this can impact how people look at you, whether they want to work with you and invest in you or not. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the early days when I networked at events, if I met women, we would introduce ourselves and we would each ask each other about us. But when I met men – most of the men I met fell in this category – enough of them never asked me what I did. They would offer a long narrative, but never return the favour and ask about me. Now, my networking technique has changed. I make sure I have my speech ready and tell them what I do, regardless of whether I am asked or not. It’s not that they are ‘bad people’ – we get defensive when we point things out – it’s just that there is an unconscious bias and they internalize the notion that people doing important things are by default men. So I put a foot in the door, with my elevator speech ready. Otherwise, it’s just about you listening to another, when you have your own amazing story to share! Why should we be ashamed or hide behind a curtain when we do important things?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Lessons from the past and dreams for a future<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I know that I am lucky to have an incredibly supportive family – my husband and both my in-laws and my parents. My nuclear family comprises my husband and me. They don’t think of my work or me as a second priority. I must say that I appreciate this about my parents and in-laws – they have always considered me an important person and I have been led to internalize that. That doesn’t happen for a lot of women – I don’t think I realized how unusual it was at first, but speaking to more women has opened me to that. When I say supportive, it is not that I am delegating to my husband. I refuse to be a household manager – everything is shared work and we have an egalitarian partnership. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I hope to take Women’s Web to more places in India. We are currently in English, and are in one way limited to urban centers – and within that, certain kinds. Plans are in the offing to make it more broad-based, encourage regional readership and writer-ship. We want to bring in more diverse voices, and find ways to encourage more writing in different languages, to tell more diverse stories and cover as many different kinds of women as possible. We are also hoping to expand using technology to ensure that access is made easier. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Women’s Web is not only for professional writers and we’ve always been clear about that – the idea is to have some basic capacity to write so that readers can understand. We would like to be open and have non-writers with valuable stories to tell to get on board while balancing the needs of our readers as well. A lot of women have common challenges – be it sexual harassment at work or domestic violence – but if they are so common, why do women feel so isolated? The reason of course is the imposed culture of silence. We want to break that and tell more stories, and make it easier for more people <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>to contribute. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-46476296058932829782017-11-06T00:00:00.000+05:302017-11-06T00:00:03.006+05:30Humans of Bukavu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Humans of Bukavu is working hard to tell true stories of Congolese people, their trials and &nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dKX2FXN9zhE/WZ-4ZhCbz1I/AAAAAAAAGrg/pFxKpsHfVic23IErbsnwuf0UlQyIK98QgCLcBGAs/s1600/thumbnail%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dKX2FXN9zhE/WZ-4ZhCbz1I/AAAAAAAAGrg/pFxKpsHfVic23IErbsnwuf0UlQyIK98QgCLcBGAs/s1600/thumbnail%2B%25281%2529.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">tribulations during and after the war and their everyday lives. Here's a chat with the brains behind the project.</span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What inspired the creation of Humans of Bukavu?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, I was inspired by Brandon Stanton and his page, Humans of New York. Second, I created Humans of Bukavu to tell real stories of ordinary people traditional media do not tell just because obsessed to give the floor to famous people such as politicians to speak on behalf of people they ignore and with whom they do not share the same conditions. On Humans of Bukavu, my page, I give the floor to the survivors of rape, to the survivors of armed conflicts, to young people who were forced to enter the armed groups, to abandoned wives and children abused of witchcraft. I give the floor to the forgotten men, women and children of the D.R. Congo.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you talk about the current situation in Bukavu, and what is happening on ground there as we speak?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Social inequalities are the major problem in my country in general and in Bukavu in particular. Those social inequalities are the outcome of dictatorship thanks to which a generalized corruption has been possible. In my country, the population has no access to water, electricity and health care. Free- basic education does not exist in my country while 70% of the population are youth. As consequence, about 80% of the youths are not only unemployed but also unemployable. The unemployed and unemployable youths have become a threat to peace because for them to be able to buy a mobile phone or a bottle of beer, they have to join an armed group to access a guns. Thanks to their guns, they are able to attack cities, to destabilize remote areas and to control mining zones. When they attack villages, they rape women, execute their husbands, use some of their sons in the mining and recruit others to reinforce their troops. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The DR Congo as a nation has gone through a lot of violence and war, and there doesn't seem to be much respite in sight. What is being done to redress the consequences of the civil war and the presence of warlords?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, I would say that the Congolese armed crisis did not get the right proportion of attention it deserved from the Congolese government as well as the international community. &nbsp;Indeed, the Congolese armed crisis is the outcome of the lack of the rule of law thanks to which the fight against corruption and the fair distribution of public income are possible. That being said, every initiative to address the Congolese armed crisis should start by the construction of a rule of law. Unfortunately this hasn’t been done neither by the Congolese government nor the International Community and its NGOs. The UN peace keepers have been on the field for more than a decade and have failed to prevent systematic rape of women, killings, guns proliferation and the recruitment of young people for the reinforcement of the troops. As for the national army, it is not to be trusted as far as securing the population is concerned because it is poorly paid, less trained and less equipped.&nbsp; There are even some reports accusing our army of rape, killing and looting in the zones it was supposed to secure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Women in the DR Congo have faced a lot of sexual violence - could you talk about that? We haven't heard about any justice being done either. How can we work towards this goal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, rape has been used as a weapon of war in my country. Its power of destruction is so terrible that everything should be done to prevent that from happening once more gain on this planet.&nbsp; The rape that has been used in my country hasn’t destroyed women only, it destroyed the entire community including its perpetrators. &nbsp;The strategy that is being used to end this murderous crisis protects the perpetrators and exposes the victims. Indeed, instead of organizing trials against the crimes’ perpetrators, they are negotiated, integrated in the national army and their ranks are moved to high level. Yet the integration of the crimes’ perpetrators in the national army exempt them from trials that would heal the victims from their trauma.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could you talk about the challenges that your work faces?&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first challenge my work face is the censorship from the government. Indeed, to avoid the censorship, I have to work anonymously. The second challenge is the lack of support I need travel all over the entire country.&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can you share a few stories / anecdotes from your work so far?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">I think of Faustin. He is 23 years old now and he was enrolled when he was 13 years old. I think of Didier from Kichanga, he was enrolled when he was 12 years old. I also think of Mesha, he was enrolled when he was 12 years old. If they weren’t enrolled, they would have become either teachers, nurses, farmers or good parents. Their dreams have been stolen at a younger age and their hands and minds were used to destroy a community they were supposed to serve. It’s not their fault. It’s the fault of adults.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-29520993289153084982017-10-30T00:00:00.000+05:302017-10-30T00:00:00.974+05:30Wings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMUXR1zMzxw/WZ3PqKf5D_I/AAAAAAAAGrQ/1QmYuQAuFN08aCjeO88ZSsHBW9pjia-YwCLcBGAs/s1600/Sunny.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMUXR1zMzxw/WZ3PqKf5D_I/AAAAAAAAGrQ/1QmYuQAuFN08aCjeO88ZSsHBW9pjia-YwCLcBGAs/s320/Sunny.jpeg" width="320" /></a><i>Sunny Angel is the author of a powerful memoir that tells her own story of healing from abuse. Here is an interview with her.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My name is Sunny Angel now, I was called Sunita. My parents came from India my Father was a baby in the partition and settled in England. I was raped between the&nbsp;age of 3-11 by a family friend. I held the victim state of mind for years. At school I was bullied and at home with two brothers I was bullied too. At college aged 17 I had a stalker. He followed me for a year. He stopped me in the town market one day and said ‘I always get what I want and I will get you!’ he threatened to throw acid on my mum’s face and stab my dad and kill my brothers if I didn’t do as he said. I was so scared. I didn’t tell anyone out of fear for my family’s safety. The stalker then started to groom me. He told me my family didn’t care about me. He manipulated me. I was so young, naïve and vulnerable, I believed his every word out of fear and control. During his grooming days he made me feel ‘special’ I forgave his violence. I had low self worth. He took me away from my family and home and raped me. He held me captive in a dark locked room with no toilet or daylight. I was his hostage.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">He tortured me relentlessly. I endured so much pain in many months. After escaping the predator I went back to my parents who then forced me to go to India for 3 months. In India I underwent a crazy exorcism and treated like ‘damaged goods’ and blamed and shamed for being ‘dirty’. On my return to England my family had plans to get rid of me by forced arranged marriage and not for healing me or for my recovery. I ended up in court for the crimes the predator had made me commit and left my family to go to a homeless shelter to start a new life. Tension built up and I ended up taking an overdose. Waking up in the hospital realizing that death rejected me too was my turning point. My family got their way and I went through with the forced arranged marriage to stop being a burden. The new family wanted dowry. I suffered further abuse. The mother in law would encourage her son/my husband to rape me and she would stand at the door and watch.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After a few months the marriage ended due to dowry abuse. I ended up back with parents and working two jobs to pay for the divorce and court costs to win the gold jewelry back which they had kept at the time. Whilst working at the bar at night, I met my next two husbands. Irish Husband Ray and I went around the World and got married in Fiji. Sadly he died at age 32 and I was widowed at 25. I fought hard to be with him. Years later I married James (My daughter’s father.) We divorced in 2010. I am happy single now. I am now a Reiki Master Teacher and Grandmaster. I have accepted my journey and past… and no longer carry the victim state of mind. I am a survivor of many things and use my experiences to empower others. We need to break the silence and stop the cultural conditioning of ‘shame’ by remaining silent on these matters we allow the abusers to walk free. We are not alone, many are suffering and need to be heard.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At first I started writing in 2003 with Ray’s support then when he died in 2004 I stopped writing altogether. It has been my calling for some time. When I found out I had a hole in my heart in 2012– I picked up the pen and decided I didn’t want the story to die with me. Even if I help just one person – my story isn’t wasted. It has been difficult to write about certain scenes – It brought back many nightmares and triggers – I had to go have further hypnotherapy. I have added some humour to lighten the mood and show my character of who I am today. I started by talking to a dictation machine. I have over ten now. Hundreds of hours worth of talking. Getting all the past out felt good...just talking to myself in the night was better therapy than the counsellor! I found it very challenging to put it onto paper. I had the structure already in my head. As it is a true story the map was already there. I had put up a post on my Facebook asking friends if anyone was available to help me write it – and many came forward. I chose my friend Paul King to help me edit.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Today, I work with survivors by helping out with Reiki and Healing and Empowerment talks with The Academy of Hard Knocks at Fight Science in Aldershot, England. They are a youth association who help re-offenders to stop reoffending and lead a better life out of prison. Personally, every day, I stay on top of things by using Reiki (self healing) daily and Mediation and paying kindness forward to three people on a daily basis to put more love in to this world.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If there was one thing I would like survivors to know, it is that they should please seek help. You are not alone. Violence is not love. You deserve better. Life is for living. I believe in you. Empower yourself for a better future. All the love you give to others...give some to yourself. &nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Buy a copy of Sunny’s book <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Wings-Sunny-Angel-ebook/dp/B073VKLFQX?_encoding=UTF8&amp;keywords=wings%20sunny%20angel&amp;portal-device-attributes=desktop&amp;qid=1503310622&amp;ref_=sr_1_1&amp;sr=8-1">here</a>. The book is also available for Indians on a special offer <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Wings-Sunny-Angel-ebook/dp/B073VKLFQX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1509195712&amp;sr=8-1">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-56986784661851276062017-10-23T00:00:00.000+05:302017-10-23T00:00:17.815+05:30Saksham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ_wzMU76Dc/WYwnvwgYHvI/AAAAAAAAGlk/ilMOMJQvbi4Q_6a9vKUp7mXek9m69IrPgCLcBGAs/s1600/Dhananjay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ_wzMU76Dc/WYwnvwgYHvI/AAAAAAAAGlk/ilMOMJQvbi4Q_6a9vKUp7mXek9m69IrPgCLcBGAs/s320/Dhananjay.jpeg" width="255" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><u>Trigger Warning: Transphobia, sexual abuse, police violence.</u></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>Harshavardhan Thyagarajan </b>interviews Ms Dhananjay<b> </b>on her journey, on life and work. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'People are curious about my genitals. “Please don't mind” they always say (she mimics an awkward laugh) – before proceeding to ask me they would never ask anyone else.' From her tone, it's hard to tell if she takes umbrage to this kind of treatment.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In school it became obvious to her classmates that she was distinctly effeminate; unlike the rest of the boys. Her friends were almost exclusively girls, their games and conversations were always more appealing to her. The occasional boy who wanted to be introduced to a girl would seek her out and befriend her. As school progressed, delivering love letters became a niche that she occupied singly. It never presented itself as a question of gender – looking back, Dhananjay sees no question here at all. She was always a girl, only one without the understanding to explain it to the outside world. The mens' room was out of bounds to her – the other boys would pull her pants, attempt to dunk her in the urinal. At this time in my childhood (much more recently) – I avoided the school toilets because I wondered if the others used it responsibly. In 6th standard, her fears were realised in their entirety. Pants were taken, and the teasing became markedly more abusive. As we speak, she registers little or no emotion – in her voice I can almost hear a sense of understanding. I am already slightly jealous – I have borne grudges for far less. Growing up, the world is already a confusing place. How does one deal with being ear-marked for abuse in an entire school?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't all bleak and awful though. She had her friends, and in 8th standard, she fell in love with a boy. He was practically a neighbour, about 16 years of age. 'I used to care for him' she says. She did not tell him of her love – but there was this care for him. Hours would run by in writing his homework, packed lunches for him and waiting beneath trees. 'We had no phones then, so I'd just wait – not knowing if he'd come.' He too, grew close to her eventually and they proceeded to become intimate. He was engaged to marry another when he was 21 – and became wary of seeing her. The last straw broke when he offered to introduce her to friends who might have been interested. She broke contact, never again to speak with him. The following period saw the first onslaught of depression in her life. Her boards performance was severely affected and suicidal thoughts began to ferment.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time seems to have numbed her to these memories, and the number of times she has told these stories allow her to breeze through the incidents almost as if they happened to someone else. Her incredible persistence in the face of staggering odds has made her a trained professional in the field of sensitization and her role as an activist has won her attention nationally – not without reason. Today she runs Saksham Trust – an organisation that engenders to support transgender and LGB communities. She was significantly involved in the build up the historic NALSA vs Union of India judgement – which affirmed fundamental rights for the third gender. Her efforts have led to Panjab University (Chandigarh) processing an application to construct a separate toilet for transgenders, making them the first University in the country to do so. She has been at the forefront of pride marches – in the first edition, she was walked off campus in PU – and most recently, Panjab University's name decorated the banner of the Chandigarh Pride Walk. Today she is fighting for a separate hostel for transgenders and remittance of tuition fees, and it appears to be another fight she will win. On a personal front – she is now completing her second masters' degree (the first was in Social Work, she is currently studying Human Rights) besides diplomas in Russian, French and Computer Science. She has been invited to multiple conferences in the LGBTQ community across the globe – and has toured Asia and Europe to lend voice to a community.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dhananjay firmly considers herself a transgender woman, and takes pains to explain to me the distinction between her identity and Hijras. Over the years, she has grown to become firm friends with the Hijra community in Chandigarh and continues to visit the Deras periodically – but believes that her identity is different for multiple reasons. The Hijra identity is firstly associated with intersex individuals – children who are adopted by the community if born with genitals that are neither distinctly male or female. Plenty of trans-women join these communities – and often undergo crude procedures to remove their male genitalia. Secondly, the Hijra community occupies a very specific niche in the North Indian society – one of religious performers. The idea of collecting badhai and performing do not appeal to Dhananjay – in fact, she believes that it's existence does not allow society to consider Hijras as regular humans. The respect they receive, she feels to be tainted by the fear that elicits it – for after all, to be paid, it is common practice for a Hijra to threaten to lift her petty coat and display her genitals. In D's opinion, she has always been too stubborn to allow society to dictate her way of life.</span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #111111; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, her sharpest memory from childhood is from the day of her Mundan (head-tonsuring ceremony). D demanded that if her head be shaved – she had to be gifted a pretty frock. Her parents eventually gave in, and the frock was bought. 'I was always 'ziddi' – even as a child.' she smiles wrily. At other times she remembers kneading dough in the wee hours of the night. It was imperative that no one knew that she played with the dough. This would have invited unnecessary conflict. Likewise – the options that presented themselves to her, joining a Hijra community or becoming a sex worker – both demanded that she smother any hope of academic qualification and equitable outcomes. Instead, she chose to repress any thoughts on gender, while trying to understand why she was sexually attracted to men. After school – D enrolled in PGGC (46) – Chandigarh. Here she studied music, history and spent a considerable amount of time involved with the drama troupe of College. She is still associated with Alankar theater – and uses the medium to spread awareness. Even today, our interview is more of a drifting conversation. Seated in the lawn of the Developing Areas Building (PU), we listen to Begum Akhtar's rendition of a 'Kuch to duniya ke inayat ne dil tod diya', and D tries to explain to me the beauty of the lyrics. We intermittently talk current affairs – communal tensions, a climate of anger, Donald Drumpf. I speak a broken Hindi – having spoken Tamil and English all my life, Hindi's habit of supplying gender to everything, gendered or otherwise; confuses me terribly. Today I'm even more conscious, determined not to mis-gender – and stringing a single question together takes a minute. D in turn replies in a mix of Hindi and English. It is a conversation peppered with trivia and history – D tells me how Akbar's courtesans were guarded exclusively by eunuchs, she tells me how the Sivalingam is a penis emerging from a vagina – and how we choose to ignore this symbolism while cherry picking sacred ideas – and I struggle to make notes. We talk about the East India Company, the idea of India, homoerotic Sufi poetry (were Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro gay lovers? In whose voice was Khusro writing Chaap Tilak Sab Cheeni – in whose voice does he exclaim “Khusro Nizaam ke bal bal jaiye”?) and plenty of other tangents. Beyond a point, I give up – there is too much to be heard – and nearly no time for documentation. It is clear that her college education was something that she valued deeply. It was more than a mere degree, after all – how many people remember ideas they studied more than two decades ago? Aptly, for three consecutive years, she was the College topper – an achievement that still brings a little sparkle to her eyes.</span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #111111; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I initially planned to write this, I was hoping to develop a picture of what life in India was like for a member of the trans community. I grew up in Chennai – in a society that was very sexist in nature, and by extension, severely discriminated against minorities from the LGBTQ. These ideas seemed very normal to me. People I considered morally upright seemed to behave well in accordance with this framework. I was probably one of the blissful many whose only image of transgenders are those of uncomfortable situations in a traffic signals. The internet brought to me ideas of feminism, questioned my belief that cis-heteronormativity was more natural than other orientations and genders. An entire generation grew increasingly aware about these issues alongside me. And yet, this awareness was not local. It was, at least for me, a very American consciousness of the existence of LGBTQ – and this bothered me. How much is a rainbow-display picture worth, if we continue to ignore issues that individuals within our country face?</span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Besides the tremendous stigma they face, a surprisingly common opinion is that if transgenders are allowed to self identify – this choice can easily be faked. D bristles at this – in making this choice, she has not only discarded the multiple privileges that come with being a man in India – she has also invited the liabilities of being a trans-woman. “I have been accosted by random men in jeeps out on a gehri – to be slapped without provocation on multiple occasions.” To her, the choice is anything but frivolous. The reflexive assumption that a social order of this nature will be exploited betrays a lot about the climate of distrust that hovers over a people.</span></div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another source of alienation to the trans community is the unspoken assumption that they are/have been involved in the industry of sex work. D maintains that a) the public perception of sex work and the taboo-ized image of sex in society is unhealthy, and that b) transgender people are not by default sex workers. This flawed pigeon holing prevents many closeted individuals from coming to terms with their own identities – resulting in internal conflicts and tremendous frustration. D went through similar frustrations of her own growing into adulthood.</span></div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1993, she graduated – and began to pursue her Masters' in History from PU. Very soon, her identity was found out – and extensive ragging followed. 'They took me the forests at the back' she says and then proceeds to detail horrific sexual abuse. It remains unclear whether this was the first case of sexual abuse that she endured. I find myself incapable of asking. What is for sure however, was that this was far from the last. Within a month of beginning, she quit and decided to take up a job as a clerk in PU. At this point in her life, she thought herself to be a gay man, rather than a woman – and it became a sort of open, unspoken secret.</span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this time, still a clerk in PU, she had taken admission to evening law, but this too proved to be too much to handle. She was married, and with help of medical intervention, she fathered to three children. The marriage didn't hold water for long, and the relationship ended in 2005. “Though we don't live together, she understands and supports me.”</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She terms this entire phase of her life an adjustment. Depression came and went, a frequent visitor – and the few friends she attempted to talk to either tried to use her for sex or distanced themselves from her. D's sexual lifestyle continued independent of her marriage and depression. Before WhatsApp and grindr, she cruised the Chandigarh streets for sexual release. This involved walking up to random strangers in public toilets and offering oneself sexually. D shocks me with such revelations from time to time – not only by being this remarkably honest about her life, but also with insights into the Indian male that I had no previous access to. Her experiences suggest that the proportion of men seeking sexual relationships with other men are much higher than we can gauge from a casual observation of our society. To remain hidden from the gaze of society, these currents of silent rebellion and self expression also take ugly forms, those of pretense and severe hypocrisy. From the top of her head, D reels off umpteen instances where men who've engaged in sexual relations with her have gone on to publicly shame her for her orientation. Eventually, this drove D to demand explicit and compromising photographs up front – to keep herself immune from the scathing shaming that followed.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At work, D was a valued member of her office – 'Work came to a standstill on days I took leave' she tells me, in response to being asked if she faced discrimination in the offices of PU. The answer suggests that she did not give her colleagues the chance – and sounds much more like the D seated across me than the person whose story I hear. To respect herself is a trait D has carefully cultivated over time. Her self respect is deeply rooted in her honesty to the world about who she is. D refuses to change anything of who she is in order to fit into a societal construct of what she should be – and in that she finds herself respectable. Respect breeds respect, she repeatedly tells me – and today in Chandigarh she is a public figure with extensive reach. Her status in PU is larger than life, she is something of a wary celebrity. Journalists repeatedly seek her out for interviews, police personnel by and large know her. As I write this, a friend asks if she can be put in touch with D for some support with her legal research. Things weren't quite the same back in the day.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1998, the administrative department of PU came under police investigation over charges of leaking a question paper. D was one among many taken into custody for interrogation in early 2000. According to D, the entire investigation was a mere political maneuver – set up to indict certain members of the top brass of PU. In order to force a confession, D was subjected to brutal torture and the threat of being outed to her family. After 5 days of resistance in the face of violent sexual abuse and repeated beatings, D gave in and signed a blank sheet of paper. She was subsequently arrested. Over and above that, she was formally outed to her family. The case was later thrown out – but D was still intermittently consigned to a spell in prison. I am avoiding graphic descriptions of her torture here, not because they are extremely unpleasant. I cannot convey the true magnitude of those 5 days. I doubt anyone but D can. The indomitable soul that she is, she has managed to see some good even in this episode of her life. It forced her hand, and it dragged her out of the closet – for which she manages to be grateful.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first person she explained herself to was her wife. To her surprise, she found a reservoir of patience and understanding. They remain close to this day, although no longer as husband and wife. By early 2004, she had returned to gainful employment – as a teacher in a school. But tragedy still hovered around the corner. D was deceived by an E-mail scam along the lines of the Nigerian prince hoax and lost a substantial portion of her life savings. Shortly after, in 2005 – the Pakistan cricket team toured India. Preparations were made and special visas were processed for the tourists. On the eve of the game, D met with two young Pakistani men and they engaged in casual intercourse. Months later, D came to know that one of them had outstayed the welcome his visa had offered him, and had been listed as a terrorist suspect. Through his phone contact list, D too came under the scanner. She was called in for interrogation. Demons returned to haunt her, and the experience was traumatic even in the absence of abuse. For months after, D felt herself being followed, observed. Her only fault? To feature in a contact list. 'I couldn't believe that this was happening to me' she shrugs – she still hasn't quite exorcised this demon. D eventually quit her job at the school and devoted herself to activism and running Saksham Trust full time, around 2009. Cut to 2017. D has been beaten multiple times, accosted by random people and shamed for her existence, gang-raped, date-raped, shamed by men who tried to woo her – and even today,not everyone is comfortable being seen with her in public. She has persisted in the face of it all – and is still going strong. Long may she enjoy the fruit of her toil.</span></div></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-63283962025853366182017-10-16T00:00:00.000+05:302017-10-16T00:00:02.244+05:30Weaving Tales, Changing Minds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tale Weavers, one of our most cherished partners, is all about telling stories to break stereotypes and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />change mindsets. Between planting seeds of peace and changing minds, Sharda and Raghu, the founders have revolutionized the art of storytelling. Here’s their story. </span></span></div><b id="docs-internal-guid-a8cca297-ca81-1d3e-06f4-5b93c8dc7f36" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Let's start with both your stories - what was/were your childhood / education / work / experiences like, to the extent that it culminated in the birth of the side of your lives that involves working for children?</b></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZzfBemFbtI/WYvomhnD7II/AAAAAAAAGkU/UHy6iQOYVRI2DaCxlq6ULpO57hjZk_XKgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sharda.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZzfBemFbtI/WYvomhnD7II/AAAAAAAAGkU/UHy6iQOYVRI2DaCxlq6ULpO57hjZk_XKgCLcBGAs/s200/Sharda.png" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharda</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnD3BiQNDWs/WYvomRLgN7I/AAAAAAAAGkQ/71-D6wlz48cps3dGdl1PtwWLa3AwmkIqgCLcBGAs/s1600/Raghu.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnD3BiQNDWs/WYvomRLgN7I/AAAAAAAAGkQ/71-D6wlz48cps3dGdl1PtwWLa3AwmkIqgCLcBGAs/s200/Raghu.png" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raghu</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was born and raised in Mumbai. My dad was self-employed and had his own consultancy practice while my mother used to run a daycare centre. So I literally grew up with 15 children around me (never felt I was my parents’ only child). While that exposed me to the socio-cultural and religious diversity around me, it also brought forward a lot of stereotypes that are often associated with different groups of people or communities. And I remember every time I questioned such generalisations, the responses only reinforced the stereotypes. I completed my undergraduate studies in Economics from Mumbai University after which I moved to New Delhi to pursue my Master’s in Ancient History from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). It was here at JNU, where I was exposed to the academic framework of gender which helped me deconstruct narratives that perpetuate stereotypes at every level. Thus, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my keen interest in exploring gender within the domain of culture and media further encouraged me to pursue my Master’s in Gender, Media and Culture.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Looking back, I see that both my universities have played a vital role in planting the idea of writing stories for children. As I began to understand the dynamics of gender, I took a close look at children’s literature. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found that it is not uncommon to find stories where caregiving and home care is associated with women, while men are the breadwinners who participate in all kinds of economic activities. &nbsp;Stories for centuries have continued to influence the minds of children and youth and they often internalize these traits through such powerful narratives. And I began to envisage the ways in which storytelling could be leveraged to fuel change. </span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhwU6ldsl2o/WYvo1Cv4wWI/AAAAAAAAGkY/3WhPFq21efQZfvj3seZcy-xEXg9iRYGXwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Kabir%2Bthe%2Bscotch-hopper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhwU6ldsl2o/WYvo1Cv4wWI/AAAAAAAAGkY/3WhPFq21efQZfvj3seZcy-xEXg9iRYGXwCEwYBhgL/s200/Kabir%2Bthe%2Bscotch-hopper.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;In the 90s, growing up in Hyderabad, one of the hotbeds in the country for coaching centers pumping out thousands of students for almost all of the major engineering institutions in India, especially the IITs, my childhood during high school was immersed in Irodov’s tricky questions. On the other hand, from a very young age, my parents allowed me to pursue my interest in performing arts...be it painting or music (...yes, yes...music is definitely a part of every tambrahm family!) Being a kid that always wanted to be outside running around, playing cricket, or hide and seek...or flying kites, I would dread my music teacher coming home to teach me to play mridangam. One could always find me hiding somewhere on the terrace or running away to a friend’s &nbsp;house and telling them to not respond to my grandma who would come looking for me. But eventually the music bug (at home) bit me and I started taking genuine interest in it and accompanied my mom and my aunt performing at carnatic music concerts. The case was very different when it came to drawing and painting...I was always interested in creating visual images and that has been a constant inspiration for me throughout my childhood and eventually choosing architecture as a profession to continue translating imagery to reality. However, coming from a family of engineers, there was always a constant pressure to pursue a career in engineering. But despite the pressure and times where my family found it difficult to understand my choices, I had the privilege to follow my interests and as my dad once told me, “If pushed hard enough, I could have been an engineer, but a bad one.” And thus, I firmly believe that every individual must be encouraged to follow his/her passion and break away from the social norms that often come to be imposed on them. If you can find what excites you...just follow it! Eventually it will define who you are and what best way to share your passions...than giving it back to the community.</span></span></div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--V6EZqY4Xsk/WYvo19ozy6I/AAAAAAAAGkk/Z25b3Wo6fGoD8ItcySmahcvfZlBsCuFIACLcBGAs/s1600/Krish_The%2BLittle%2BChef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1425" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--V6EZqY4Xsk/WYvo19ozy6I/AAAAAAAAGkk/Z25b3Wo6fGoD8ItcySmahcvfZlBsCuFIACLcBGAs/s200/Krish_The%2BLittle%2BChef.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How did Tale Weavers come about? </b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My passion for gender empowerment coupled with my interest in media and communications acts as the bedrock for starting Tale Weavers. I have always enjoyed writing and redefining narratives. But what really crystallised the idea was my visit to a park in the recent past. Right by our house where my parents used to live, there is a park where you can find children playing, people taking a stroll and so on. One day as I was taking my evening stroll, I saw this group of little girls place their hands against each other’s and asked which one of them had a lighter skin. The one with the darkest tone was immediately called ‘Kaali’, the word for Black in Hindi while the fairest amongst them jumped in excitement to be the ‘Snow White’ of the group. And I just could not believe what I had just heard. As I began to question the influence of media- literature, cinema, advertising and other sources, I was transported back to my childhood and could not stop thinking of the fairytales that always stripped princesses off their agency and placed them at the mercy of the princes who would come to their rescue. Thus, </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I strongly believed in the need to have more balanced narratives and started writing stories and began to create a platform </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to engage with children on issues around gender and equip them with the skills to question the status-quo. </span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> When Sharda shared this with me, the first thing that came to my mind was Tinkle. As a child, most of us have devoured Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha stories. Simple stories and visually engaging illustrations have enthralled readers for years. Give me a copy of Tinkle even today and I will happily become the kid that loves to read the stories for hours! So I was like, how about we come up with simple conversations and colourful illustrations that represent diversity and address issues around gender, race, ethnicity on one hand while equipping children with life skills such as empathy, sensitivity that are key in addressing the social challenges and building a community of changemakers. Thus, Tale Weavers came into being. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">What were some of the key ideas / goals you had in mind when you started TW? </b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJCiQLAC0S0/WYvo2cOkSgI/AAAAAAAAGko/akoEyCpYHx0gmODgrqS3LeyakZSrehgQgCLcBGAs/s1600/Menstroo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1425" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJCiQLAC0S0/WYvo2cOkSgI/AAAAAAAAGko/akoEyCpYHx0gmODgrqS3LeyakZSrehgQgCLcBGAs/s200/Menstroo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our primary goal was to shatter stereotypes. Initially when I thought about stories, it was all about breaking the stereotypes around gender. But my work in the development sector over the years has helped me understand the need to look at intersectionality even within gender. Thus, we decided we would write tales that break stereotypes around gender, race, ethnicity while also creating awareness on child sexual abuse, menstruation and other challenges key to achieving a gender just society. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To add to that, we also wanted to promote girls in tech, financial literacy and entrepreneurial thinking through our stories. These are few other ideas that we have been working on. While writing stories was just one aspect of it, it becomes equally important to understand the impact of our stories and the ways in which they are actually translating change by changing mindsets. So together with our Chief Advisor- Ms. Kirthi Jayakumar we came up with an impact index wherein our stories will be followed by activities and exercises where </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">students will be </span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">encouraged to offer expositions of their learnings, and their behavioural patterns will be tracked using indicators.</span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Being in the non-profit sector has its own challenges - to top it all, when you are working to change resistant mindsets, there are more challenges. Would you like to talk about these challenges and how you would like to overcome them? </b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbpgL3xo1P0/WYvo2oG_zWI/AAAAAAAAGks/jUwEVtUAybUeWJUQvviavnr4mErpAczvwCLcBGAs/s1600/No-Run-Tell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="713" height="198" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbpgL3xo1P0/WYvo2oG_zWI/AAAAAAAAGks/jUwEVtUAybUeWJUQvviavnr4mErpAczvwCLcBGAs/s200/No-Run-Tell.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Like most nonprofit organisations and community engagement initiatives, access to resources has been a constant challenge. Especially given that our initiative aims to engage with children, it is vital to have volunteers who can translate complex ideas and topics in a simple way. Further, as the stories being written are for all age groups, it often becomes challenging to find </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">volunteers with experience in pedagogy to help determine the reading levels. And like you rightly said, when you are working to change mindsets, the challenges are much more. Because when you talk about breaking stereotypes, it often involves challenging/ changing some aspects of culture. Hence, sensitivity and empathy become important while designing resources to ensure you are not imposing the change you want to see. And one way to address this is to work with the communities and involve people from the community to share their stories and create an inclusive space for dialogue.</span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think for me one of the major challenges has been translating the stories into colourful, engaging illustrations. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often the use of a character opens up questions around gender and race and thus, as a team it becomes key for us to represent diversity and be sensitive to the same. I personally feel it’s a great learning experience where we need to constantly unlearn. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Telling a story is an art. And some stories can be incredibly memorable. What's the secret ingredient in Tale Weavers' &nbsp;recipes that helps keep these stories fresh, real and beautiful?</b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The credit goes to our team of volunteer writers and illustrators. Each of them bring to the table a new idea and a fresh perspective which is at the heart of every Tale Weaver's story. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Absolutely! Our volunteers come from across the globe. And this diversity is visible in every story and becomes a unique piece of art in itself.</span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Children today are open to a lot of influences and get a lot of false information in the process, which can be disparaging to them. There is a desperate need to keep them on track if we want a peaceful and bright future. What is your approach to that?</b></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Engage, engage and engage. Conversations are important. And storytelling as a platform can be leveraged to fuel the conversation and create a space to increase awareness and a space to empathise. Like I mentioned earlier, we will be exploring collaborations with schools and community centres to organise more on-ground workshops to engage with children. While using our stories as part of the curriculum, we will create an inclusive space to deconstruct myths, misconceptions and challenge stigma. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABTkxViMgbM/WYvo2zGQtXI/AAAAAAAAGkw/yKWmf1ApmvI4vP9KKggCRDjN8LYwc4ZhgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sarah%2527s%2BTax%2BLessons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="713" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABTkxViMgbM/WYvo2zGQtXI/AAAAAAAAGkw/yKWmf1ApmvI4vP9KKggCRDjN8LYwc4ZhgCLcBGAs/s200/Sarah%2527s%2BTax%2BLessons.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can parents and teachers work with TW to bring their children the right information and mindsets to consume that information? </b></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raghu: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are actively seeking collaborations with schools as well as community centres t</span><span style="color: #161515; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o take our stories to a wider community of children and empower them with different life skills. Parents and teachers can connect with us and we can either have our volunteers conduct these sessions or train them to conduct the storytelling sessions. While all our stories can be applied to a global audience, we are happy to customise them. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #161515; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharda: </span><span style="color: #161515; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, say for e.g. we can create a personalised story with your child as the protagonist and be the changemaker. This is a great way to inspire children and foster a community of changemakers when they see themselves in the tales. </span></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-22500255735790256422017-10-09T00:00:00.000+05:302017-10-09T00:00:15.270+05:30A Ferry from the Periphery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t8x9xkWMcSs/WYlTmni8kuI/AAAAAAAAGjk/ylD4xmN4AhMTNuo7D0GXCJL4z-ltMGhmQCLcBGAs/s1600/Neelam%2BJain%2B-%2BPeriFerry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t8x9xkWMcSs/WYlTmni8kuI/AAAAAAAAGjk/ylD4xmN4AhMTNuo7D0GXCJL4z-ltMGhmQCLcBGAs/s400/Neelam%2BJain%2B-%2BPeriFerry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neelam Jain</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Neelam Jain founded and runs PeriFerry, a Workspace Inclusion Initiative that supports organizations by helping them recruit, onboard and create inclusive environments for transgender people. Here is her story in her own words.&nbsp;</i></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">The birth of PeriFerry goes way back, actually. I have had my own experiences of exclusion that is typical of high schools, of not being accepted and not having the normal life of a eleventh and twelfth grader would. I’ve had my own share of bitter experiences of exclusion because I didn’t fit the norm and things like that. That was my starting point of turning to things that made me feel a lot better when things were not going alright – which was doing social work. It calmed me down when things were not going right. </div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">In college, I was actively involved in groups that did a lot of social work. I started interacting with people from the LGBT community, mainly the transgender groups. I felt very comfortable with them – I would go out a lot on my own and never hesitated to start a conversation to them. I related to their story and empathized with them, and it was a starting point. I couldn’t really do anything on my own for them, at the time.</div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">I got into an MNC, where I got to present a social impact project to the company. If they were interested, they would fund the project. I prepared a project on the inclusion of the transgender community in the workplaces. The MNC was incredibly LGBT inclusive, but there was no transgender representation as such. I proposed the project with the Solidarity Foundation, who helped me draft the proposal, and budget it – towards training and bringing in transgender people into the company. Something in me wanted to make a difference for that community, so it was my focus. There were thousands presented, of which three were to be selected. The project didn’t make it, but a lot of seniors appreciated it. It got a lot of attention from the higher ups. I took inspiration from that.</div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">I quit my job in six months, and returned to Chennai. I decided that I wanted to start doing something on my own. I didn’t think of establishing an NGO – I am passionate about the cause and am good with business models and understanding funding and liaising with corporate houses. Once I returned, I spent six months of research with NGOs in Chennai, and got involved with the transgender communities here. I stayed with them in their housing and colonies. I understood them better. It’s not like all of them want to get out of sex work or that they hate their lives. But things could be a lot better for them. That is what PeriFerry aims at.</div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">Eight months down the line, with the help of Steevez, who helped me with the field work and pushed me to start this, I started PeriFerry. I named it PeriFerry as a play on the word “periphery” which effectively means edge. I intended for it to convey that the initiative was founded with the aim of being inclusive of those that society has pushed to the edge. It is not with any sense of being a saviour or any such, but just that we want to be like a “ferry” taking them from the edge to the place they want to be. A lot of people want their lives to be better and different from where it is at the moment, and Periferry is for them. In the transgender community, there are those who have no qualms with their lives – the initiative is for those who want to change their lives and go in a direction of their choice.</div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">We don’t go to companies to convince them. There is no hard selling that we can do with a concept like this. At this moment, we work with those that come to us. All of our clients are mostly those who came to us. They have already accepted the idea of inclusion but just needed some handholding to get there. In these workshops that we do with them, many people have no idea about transgender people, the pronouns to use and such else. They find it interesting and become accepting as well. This is a first step – change can’t come overnight, but it is certainly all about initiating the change in the mindset. </div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">In our sensitization programs, we offer up an equal representation of both. Trans men are not often known of or seen in the way that trans women are. The gender performance arc is somehow not as pronounced in trans men. So being that they are hidden, their education standards are much better and they get accepted into jobs and are not involved with sex work. Many of them live with their families who don’t know of their transition – so they don’t always come out. They come from better backgrounds but their acceptance is often met with greater challenge. Trans women are often part of gharanas and communities. We’ve only seen trans women around us – and so making people understand that trans men are also very real and do indeed exist, and making them understand gender, sex and transitioning is a huge challenge. It is tough, but we don’t back down. </div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uiXw9T1g2Xs/WYlTmV_ad3I/AAAAAAAAGjg/LDuWSsrvujks2HPDLOS5LDmYU5IP4IOKgCLcBGAs/s1600/PeriFerry%2BTeam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uiXw9T1g2Xs/WYlTmV_ad3I/AAAAAAAAGjg/LDuWSsrvujks2HPDLOS5LDmYU5IP4IOKgCLcBGAs/s640/PeriFerry%2BTeam.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The PeriFerry Team</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">We did a Thiru Vizha recently where we had a mono-act of a trans man’s story enacted by another individual (not the one whose story it is). It was a positive story of being accepted by the family and a portrayal of a positive love life with an aspiration to get married. It was a beautiful story. So the change is happening, just that it is one story and one step at a time. A film critic then led a discussion around the portrayal of transgender people on screen. PeriFerry aims at breaking rigid barriers to inclusion.</div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">In our workshops, we start with basic things around sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and based on employer mindsets and policies, we deal with sexuality. We then move to transgender people, more from the hijra community point of view, the exclusion they face, the lives they lead, the medical needs their transitions require and the psychology of it all. <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">The main focus of our workshops is to ensure that the employees of a workplace get to know and understand transgender people as well as their struggles or issues better. We customize these workshops and do our best to ensure they go beyond the definition of a normal (read boring) workshop. In order to connect with our audiences better, we employ theatrical elements and bring in artists as well. Workshops will be tweaked or customized according to the target audience as well, be it employees, managers or top-level leaders. We then show them how we can be supportive of the community in a way that is not rooted in sympathy, but rather treat them as basic, equal people who deserve respect for their skills and dreams. We also work on the infrastructural dimension around restructuring language, behaviour, and wherever possible, infrastructure. In some offices, it involves either revamping their infrastructure, or, like in most MNCs, they refashion their PWD toilets into gender neutral toilets. It doesn’t take much – even just changing the name boards and plaques outside the toilets is enough of a change in creating inclusive toilets. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">In terms of what we aim for in the future, </span>PeriFerry<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"> is in a dynamic continuum now. We have changed our approach and are focusing on doing more conferences, seminars and job fairs. We welcome collaborations and support in the form of funding, too. </span></div><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">There are many positive stories from our journey so far. But the one that remains most precious to me is the first placement. Well before PeriFerry became what it is, I was speaking with Santhosh the owner of <i>Kolapasi</i>, a restaurant in Chennai. I met him in a café and told him about my dreams for PeriFerry. He was so taken in by it – not just open with the idea, but also helped me integrate a trans woman into his office so beautifully. She is working in the environment till date without any issues. Later, they also hired another trans woman to join their team. The employer is happy, the employees are all happy – it is such a beautiful story for me to revisit.&nbsp;</div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058002656031698847.post-61387669103350842572017-10-02T00:00:00.000+05:302017-10-02T00:00:18.323+05:30Bold Strokes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K7fV38RxM5o/WYDJns-ZFfI/AAAAAAAAGh4/9qYByyzz280XgTZqoOzlNVz-Mf4yPpakwCLcBGAs/s1600/Shayonti%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K7fV38RxM5o/WYDJns-ZFfI/AAAAAAAAGh4/9qYByyzz280XgTZqoOzlNVz-Mf4yPpakwCLcBGAs/s320/Shayonti%2B1.JPG" width="240" /></a><i>Shayonti Chatterjee is the founder of Our Front Cover, which brings together stories of inspirational &nbsp;people world over. Here is her story.&nbsp;</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was a fairly good student in school. I was the eldest – and both my parents – I come from a regular Bengali family where academics was very important. We were never encouraged to go into business – which was seen as not-so-good. I had pressure f in &nbsp;my family &nbsp;everyone was into law or medicine and engineering, which was very common in middle class educated families coming out of Bengal. One thing that let me dream big and gave me confidence as a woman is that I came from a family where women were always treated equally. It was never believed that a woman should do things differently. I had short hair, &nbsp;wore short frocks and had male friends – and there were never norms to do otherwise. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was the only grandchild in the family for a good ten years. My grandfather treated me as he would have treated a grandson – there was no holding back. I didn’t find anything unusual about it. But much later in life, more so today, when I see the issues facing women, I wonder how come I was so lucky. That was what made me dream big. My ambition was to become a doctor – it was a very noble profession to me. From Calcutta, we moved to Delhi when I was &nbsp;ten. I wanted to join AIIMS, the crème-de-la-crème of medical colleges in Delhi. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pass the entrance exam. It was my first setback in my life. I made a decision saying that I would not do the exam again – as most others did. There was a shift in our financial condition in that time, as a result of which I couldn’t afford tuitions or private colleges that came up in Southern India. I couldn’t afford to go there, so I slashed that dream out of me, and totally shifted gears to study Economics and International Relations. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My passion was not that – it was very different. Today, it is much easier to formulate ideas with the exposure. But if I extrapolate myself from there to this generation, I may have done better in journalism or social entrepreneurship. At that time, I couldn’t formulate my dreams. In 1986, I studied in the Soviet Union – a decision of revolt, as I would say – because I couldn’t afford to go to the US. I took it upon myself. I was eighteen, then, and decided that I wouldn’t allow my parents to spend too much money on me. And so I went to a relatively less known part of the world. It was at the time when Gorbachev brought on the Glassnost principle. I studied and went on to work, and stayed in the Soviet Union for 13 years. It was a different world – it was closed, yet open. All that I saw at the time contrasted with all that I saw on my travels. All my friends would go to London or Paris – because train trips were affordable, but I would travel within the Soviet Union. I didn’t foresee the Berlin Wall falling then, and so I used to say that I wouldn’t be able to come back if I went out of the country. I think I travelled the length and breadth of the Soviet Union – from Siberia to Tashkent, to Armenia and to Georgia – it was all one country then. The experience of travelling like this was immense. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I started working with international trade, &nbsp;and sales operations. It was &nbsp;maybe the not most&nbsp; lucrative of jobs – but it was a very important experience, nevertheless, and I sometimes jokingly say that having stayed in Russia for so long at that time, I’d know how to get out of a jungle if I were thrown into it. Once, I attended a Christmas mass with a Polish roommate on Saturday evening. On Monday, at University, my mentor told me not to go wherever I went on Saturday. It took me two minutes to realize that as a foreign student, I was being followed. Once, someone asked me if I believed in God. Religious beliefs were a big taboo. I told my teacher that I didn’t know – but if I fell down and got wounded, I wanted to be able to hold my wound and say “Oh God, help me!” I wanted to have that faith that would be tantamount to support. If that was believing, then I was a believer. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Having lived across different parts, I think Western Europe is a breather. I’ve lived in and worked in Europe where the emancipation of women is really high. In Russia, women were always treated on par with men. Women were extremely qualified and talented. However, once they came home, it was very patriarchal. Men would sit and watch television, drinking – just like Maxim Gorky’s mother. It goes for most East European countries. Women are very liberated when it comes to having male partners in life – whether it’s going through divorce or having children out of marriage. But when you are with a man, certain duties are ascribed to the gender, and the women seem to be tacitly accepting it. In Europe, another thing that has stood out for me is the objectification of women and their beauty. To women in Eastern Europe, beauty is seen as very important. In Western Europe, how you look and what you wear comes so low on the hierarchy of everyday choices. In India, when I go home, I dress with the thought of who is looking at me. You are not judged by your clothes in Western Europe. In India, and in Eastern Europe, you are looked at and evaluated on how you dress. It is all about your clothes and appearance, and how you stand out. In countries like Germany and Holland, society is egalitarian – there is no need to offer a seat to the elderly unless they are infirm. There is tremendous pride in one’s own identity, and they don’t like to take advantage of a crutch.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Women don’t automatically turn around to a man for help, and men don’t automatically think that a woman needs help because she’s a woman. This taught me that being treated equal warrants giving up a few liberties as well. If you can’t, get help – but nothing is a function of your gender. Another beautiful thing is that children out here are seeing same-sex parents, and there’s nothing about it that’s seen as abnormal – which is how it should be. We don’t even use the terms “husband” or “wife” anymore to assume that one is heterosexual. We only refer to “partners.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">That is the concept of free thinking – free thinking gives you power and a feeling of being liberated. There are women’s issues here, of course, but women know that she has the equal right to reach out to the authorities and fight her case. There is domestic violence, there are instances of sexual assault, there is flesh trade – I’m not saying there are no problems in Europe. BUT, there are equally robust systems that offer up a solution. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">From Russia, I moved to Hungary, and then to Holland. I started my own venture, , simply because it was not easy to get a work permit. This was in 2003. I was approached by two Dutch women who I had met. They were setting up a company to distribute an American skincare product. I worked till 2015, and the company was sold. This was a transition time. It was difficult to get back to a nine-to-six job. At that point, I decided to start something that I &nbsp;always wanted. I didn’t come from a journalist background. At that point, the internet came into play. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I set up a website, took the help of a journalist friend who helped me understand the world to source stories and to speak to people. My biggest takeaway in life is rooted in the fact that gender roles were so pressurizing. There is a need to think out of the box – and there should be a disconnect of the whole angle of how certain jobs can give you a certain status. Anybody is a hero. My hero till date was my grandfather. He was a barrister by profession and in all honesty. He firmly believed in the equality of all religions. He had tremendous respect for all religions – and it was mutual. Differences were respected, and that is missing now, today. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our Front Cover is really to bring stories to the front, stories that are inspirational, in that they can reach out to people, touch a chord in people’s hearts. Society ignores stories of simple people, people who are not “heroes.” I did not want it to be focused on one particular theme. I wasn’t very clear as to what one area I would focus on – I decided to keep it as a platform that would allow a lot of thoughts to mingle. I wanted to keep it simple and light, and to encourage people to engage with the platform and the stories we tell them. It was basically to bring together stories. Honestly, I thought it would be easier than it is – but it isn’t easy to reach out to people to get their stories. One needs to be pushed and get a helping hand from people who are more established in this space, and we are trying to &nbsp;move ahead. All in all, personally, Our Front Cover was a good way for me to vent out.. It gave me the space to do the things I wanted to. It was created with the aim of being a space for alternate reading. While you have so many platforms that offer up stories, not too many are as global. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A couple of months ago, I told the story of a foster mother in Texas – she’s known as “The Foster Mother” in Texas because she’s housed so many children. I featured the story of Vicky Roy – which was literally a story of going from rags to riches. He’s doing amazing things with his photography. I just called him up, and told him that I had heard of him and wanted to do an interview. He couldn’t write, so I had to look for someone to speak to him in Delhi. He does magic with his camera! In the last two years, I’ve connected to a lot more people than I did in all of my corporate life. I don’t know about the life of Our Front Cover, but the relationships I have built and will build will live with me.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div></div>Red Elephanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924607559722132021noreply@blogger.com